The Tangibility of Magic
by Jolly Rancher
Summary: Post OoTP After recieving a letter and a book from Sirius, Harry decides to take control of his life. New friends and training. Contains Dark!Harry, but not Evil!Harry. Rating for some profanity.
1. Letter from Sirius

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The Tangibility of Magic by Jolly Rancher **

**Chapter 1- Old Friends**

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_He was dreaming again. Thankfully, it wasn't about Sirius and the Veil, but just of a family eating dinner. Harry smiled, he was glad to get away from his usual nightmares. There were four people in the family, the parents, and their kids, and son and a daughter. He watched as the brother teased his little sister about her new boyfriend. Suddenly, the door burst open in a shower of wood, and men dressed in black robes appeared. Harry froze in fear. The whole family had screamed as one when the Death Eaters came, and now the father had gotten up angrily._

_"Hey! What the hell do you loonies think you're doing? Get the hell out of my house before I call the cops!" He said._

_The robed men did nothing but laugh._

_"Silence, filth! You will show respect to your betters! Now, bow before Lord Voldemort." One of the men said._

_They then made two lines facing each other, with enough space in the middle for a man to go through. Then, came a horrific monster, ones that were only real in dreams. It had red eyes, and slits for a nose. The family felt chills to the very core of their being as they watched this creature come toward them and laugh cruelly. Harry watched as Voldemort walked over to the girl and lifted her chin up. "What a pretty little girl. Lucius, you and the others can have her for your pleasure."_

_"Thank you my Lord, you are most gracious," Lucius said as he took the trembling girl by her hair, and dragged her to the other side of the room._

_The father and brother immediately charged forward to save their sister, but suddenly found themselves hovering in midair. The woman screamed. Harry could take no more, and with a shout, he ran forward and tried to tackle Malfoy, but just fell right through him. He could do nothing but watch and cry as the Death Eaters raped the girl, and Lord Voldemort tortured the rest of the family._

* * *

He woke up drenched in cold sweat, trembling. He started to cry, the feeling of guilt starting to overwhelm him.

_Why the hell can't I do anything? Why the fuck am I so weak?_ These thoughts ran through the head of Harry Potter as he curled up into a fetal position on his bed.

He could not get back to sleep. Every time he tried, the thoughts of the raped girl came back to him. It made him want to retch. He paced around his room for a few minutes trying to get his mind off of his dream. He was pulled suddenly from his thoughts when an owl tapped at the window. He quickly went to the window and pulled it open. The owl, it was a barn owl, flew in and dropped a package on Harry's bed. It then flew out, just a quickly as it came. Harry walked over to his bed and picked up the package. It felt like a book. He noticed a letter tied to the package, so he untied it, and started to read it.

_Dear Harry,_

_Well, if you're reading this, then I'm dead, to put it bluntly enough. I can only hope that I died fighting until the last breath. I sent you this letter to help explain to you a few things, and to get you to stop wallowing in self-pity. Please don't be sorry that I'm dead, just think of it as another reason to kill Voldemort. Anyways, enough with the mushy stuff, lets get on to the interesting part of this letter. Have you ever wondered why Voldemort came after you and your parents? I keep trying to get Dumbledore to tell you, but he refuses. I'm about to tell you. Just after you were born, Harry, there was a prophecy made by Trelawney. This wasn't her normal bullshit, but actually the real thing. I can't remember it word for word exactly, but it basically said that at the end of the seventh month, which is July, a baby would be born with the power to defeat Lord Voldemort. Now, this is all the Voldemort knows, his spy did not hear the rest of the prophecy. To the best of my knowledge, only Dumbledore knows the full prophecy, other than me. I was told of it because I was your parent's secret keeper. The rest of the prophecy tells us that Voldemort will mark the child as his equal. The next part is the worst; the prophesied child must kill the Dark Lord, or else be killed. Neither can live while the other survives. That's basically the gist of it. You are the prophesied child, Harry. You were born on July 31, the end of the seventh month. He marked you as his equal when he gave you that scar. You are the only one who can defeat him, Harry. I know that this is a lot to take it right now, but you must accept this as the truth. You must train to defeat him, not just in Light Magic, but in Dark. You are biased against dark magic because you think of it as evil, but ask yourself this question. Is magic tangible? It is wizards who classify magic as light and dark, magic is just, simply put, magic. The main reason Dumbledore cannot defeat Voldemort, though being on the same magical level as him, is because he refuses to use any magic that is considered dark. Voldemort, on the other hand, has no qualms about using both light and dark magic when he fights. The book I sent you will start you off on the dark arts, but you must study more. Do not let Dumbledore control you anymore, like he has controlled you these past years, like he is controlling me now. Let me finish with an old muggle quote. "Know thy enemy."_

_P.S._

_Look at the end of the book, I scribbled down a spell that I think you'll like. Don't give this spell to anyone else; just use it for yourself._

_With all my love and more,_

_Padfoot_

* * *

Harry sat unmoving on his bed, silent tears pouring down his face. He suddenly curled up on his bed and started sobbing uncontrollably. Once he started he could not stop. He cried out for everything that had happened to him in his short life. He cried for his parents. He cried for Cedric. He cried for Sirius. He cried most of all for the girl that would wake up with the knowledge that she was raped, and her family killed. After an hour of crying, he gradually stopped, and wiped away his tears. Sirius was right; he should stop wallowing in self-pity and guilt. He would train, not just for himself, but also for everyone whose life had been ruined by Tom Marvolo Riddle. He went to the restroom to wash of his face, and then went back to his room to take a look at the book that Sirius had sent him.

**_The Dark Arts by Lucida Anguine_**

**_Introduction: Take Caution_**

_The Dark Arts is not something to be trifled with. It is the most dangerous, and most misunderstood, branch of magic. Once you embark on this path, it will be hard to keep control and not misuse this new power. Take this as your last warning, close this book now if you do not think you have the willpower to succeed in controlling yourself. If you do, turn the page to chapter one._

_Is this what happened to Voldemort? Was he too weak to control the urge to misuse the power of the dark arts?_ Harry thought to himself as he read the introduction to the book. As he read further into the book, he learned of the different types of creatures that were considered 'dark', for instance werewolves, vampires, and lethifolds. He then got to the spells section. There were many types of different spells, spells that would create a gas that would put everyone in the room, excluding the caster, into a magical coma. In this particular spell, only the caster could remove the curse. There were also many wards that would kill anyone that put one foot inside of he warded area. As Harry got more and more into the book, the more he despised the wizarding world. The majority of them were biased, whether it be against muggles, or dark wizards. Just because someone is dark does not make them evil. He decided from then on that he would be known as a dark wizard, and to hell with everybody else that thinks that he was evil. He put the book away, ready to go back to sleep. Just as he closed the book, he remembered what Sirius had written in his postscript. He quickly opened the book back up, and flipped to the back cover of the book.

_**Shieldus ex Magicka astomini Detectora**_**-** _This spell will remove any detection charms placed on your wand. This includes anything the Ministry put on it to check for underage wizardry. Just don't misuse this, just like all the other spells in this book. This spell is highly illegal, so I don't recommend telling anyone about this. This is the spell that wizards use to take off the charm that alerts the ministry to the use of the Unforgivables. Have fun, Harry!_

Harry wanted to shout for joy. If this spell worked, then the Dursley's could do nothing to him this summer. He could finish all of his chores in a matter of seconds. And most importantly, he could practice all the new spells he would be learning to defeat Voldemort. He quickly got his wand out from underneath his pillow, and cast the spell.

_"Shieldus ex Magicka astomini Detectora!"_ He said while waving his wand around in a circle.

His wand was enveloped in a red light, then gold slowly overtook the red. Finally, the whole wand was sheathed in a gold light, and then the color vanished. Shivering with excitement, Harry cast a silencing charm on the room, to block out Dudley's snores. He waited in trepidation for a ministry owl to come tapping at his window, and when none came, he let out a shout of joy, the silencing charm blocking any noise coming out of his room as well as into.

_"Collorportus!"_ He cast a locking charm on the door, so his aunt couldn't come in to wake him up in the morning.

He then proceeded to liven up his room. He first fixed Dudley's old desk and chair. The desk had been broken when Dudley jumped on it in a tantrum, and the chair had been broken simply because Dudley had sat on it. The Dursley's were feeling especially generous that day, so they decided to give them to Harry. He then transfigured his rock-hard twin bed into a soft, fluffy queen sized four-poster. He made the curtains a deep green, with silver lacing, and made the bedsheets Gryffindor colors. He decided to make the curtains Slytherin colors because he had realized that not all Slytherins were bad, and to be frank, too much maroon and gold made his head spin. He fixed the broken down bookshelf, and put all of his school books in it. He then went to his bed and lay down for a good sleep.

As he started to fall asleep he remembered what Quirrell said to him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts. _"There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it..."_ Harry reflected upon this remark, and realized how true it was. He didn't fully agree with Voldemort, and he knew that there were such things as good and evil, but this statement was truer than anything Dumbledore had ever said to him. Who was to say what a 'good' person is and what an 'evil' person is? With that thought, Harry fell asleep.

* * *

Harry awoke the next morning refreshed and content. Last night's activities made his heart swell with happiness. When he looked at the clock (he had fixed the one Dudley through out the window), he was surprised when he saw that it was one o' clock. _Well, maybe not too surprising, considering the fact that I went to sleep at about 4 in the morning._ Harry thought to himself.

He got up with a great yawn, smacking his lips together, trying to get rid of the rotten taste in his mouth. Even though he slept a long time, his movements were still sluggish. He smacked his forehead when he remembered that he could do magic.

_"Navitas!" _He cast a temporary energizing charm on himself, and immediately felt better. He got his towel and went to the bathroom across the hall. As he walked through the hallway, he noticed that nobody was home, due to the lack of noise._ Hmm, I guess Uncle Vernon is at work, and Dudley's probably off getting high somewhere. Aunt Petunia must be out shopping._

He was at the door of the bathroom, when he suddenly had a thought. _As long as the Dursley's aren't here, why not take a long, hot soak in the Master bathroom?_

He smirked evilly, and changed direction, this time going towards the Dursley's master bedroom. He had never been allowed to take a long bath, and he was looking forward to it. After he spent a half-hour getting wrinkled and pruny in the tub, he got out, dried off, and brushed his teeth. He had thoroughly enjoyed it, but he was hungry. He went and changed into some of his cloths, and decided then and there that he had to get an entirely new wardrobe. For now, he settled on casting a few cutting charms on his shirt sleeves and on the bottom of his jeans. He went downstairs to get something to eat, but all he found was a note on the kitchen table.

_Boy,_

_I don't give a damn about what those freaks said at Kings Cross! Next time your aunt calls you down for breakfast, you better damn well come down. How dare you barricade your door! Just for this, we are leaving you with nothing to eat for breakfast. You ungrateful little whelp, there had better not be a replay of this ever again._

_Uncle Vernon_

_Damn, now how am I supposed to get anything decent to eat around here? I don't want to eat another grapefruit! Damn it, I am hungry._ Harry sat back in his chair, pondering over what to do for food. He suddenly had a thought. He went up to Dudley's room and went through his drawers. He finally found what he was looking for. Dudley's emergency stash. In case he ran out of kids to steal from to get weed, Dudley had this stash.

_Considering all that I have done for the Dursley's, its only fair that I get something back._ Still, the one hundred pounds that consisted of the emergency stash didn't even come close to paying Harry for all the work he had done for the Dursley's. He went to his room, and got his invisibility cloak out. He opened his window, and jumped out onto the tree branch a few feet away. He knew that an Order member was around, and he didn't want anyone to follow him. He quickly climbed down the tree, and stood still for a minute. He put a silencing charm on his trainers, and walked a little ways away. He then ducked behind a hedge, and took the cloak off, shrunk it, and put it in his pocket. He then walked to a restaurant called _The Point_. He had never gone to any restaurant, but he had overheard Dudley talking about it to his friends. Apparently it was really popular in the area.

When he walked in the restaurant, the first thing he noticed was the ridiculous amount of teenagers in the room. Almost every table was full, with only a few adults in sight. _Huh, this must be a hangout for teenagers_. He thought absently as he waited in line to make his order.

_Wow, they have a good selection here. Let's see, they have hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, sodas, milkshakes, chips, and more. Hmm...maybe I'll ge-_

"Welcome to _The Point_, may I take your order, sir?" Said the cashier.

With a start Harry realized that he was at the front of the line. "Oh, sorry. I'll have two hamburgers, a regular coke, and large fries."

"All right, that will be five pounds, sir. Here is your receipt, your order number is on the top."

Harry paid the man, and stepped to the side as he waited for his food to get ready. He didn't have to wait long before getting his food, and went to an unoccupied table. He had just gotten through his first hamburger when someone approached him.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry for bothering you, but do we know each other?"

Harry looked up and saw a girl standing over him. She was very pretty, with a white blouse, and form-fitting jeans. She looked very familiar, but he couldn't place her.

He replied, "Erm, I think we do, you look very familiar. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? Oh! I do remember you! I'm Catherine, Catherine Fields!" She said excitedly.

"Cathy? Wow, you've changed a lot!" Harry replied.

* * *

**Flashback **

_It was Harry's first day of his fifth year in his muggle primary school. At lunch time he went outside to the playground, since Aunt Petunia never packed him any lunch. It wouldn't do him much good anyway; Dudley would just take it from him, like he did everything else. He was sitting below the giant oak tree, drawing designs in the dirt. He was drawing a picture of Dudley imploding from the consumption of too much food when he was interrupted._

_"Hello." A timid voice said._

_He looked up, and saw a girl about his age looking at him. She had messy blond hair tied up in pigtails, and had glasses that looked almost as bad as Harry's, if that was even possible._

_"Hi, my name is Harry, what's yours?"_

_"Cathy, Cathy Fields. I'm new here, so is it alright if I play with you?"_

_"Okay." He handed her a bark of wood, so that she could draw in the dirt too._

_She giggled, "That pictures funny. It looks just like that mean boy who teased me about my glasses!"_

_Harry smiled and laughed along with her. So, she was an outcast just like him. As they all say, misery loves company. They sat and drew pictures with each other in companionable silence, when someone suddenly stepped in the drawings._

_"What are you doing here, Fields? You're not supposed to be hanging around the freak." Dudley said, "I'll let you off this time, since you're new and all."_

_Cathy stood her ground and said, "I can do anything I want to, you big fat jerk!"_

_She was suddenly pushed to the ground. "Shut up four-eyes! No one calls me fat!" Dudley screamed, as his face got purple with rage. Suddenly, a great pile of dirt was thrown in Dudley's mouth. He spluttered incoherently while trying to get the dirt out of his mouth. Harry looked at his hand in fright, then started to run. He couldn't believe that he had just done that! His Aunt and Uncle were going to kill him! Dudley finished getting the dirt out of his mouth, and immediately started to chase after Harry, his gang following him loyally. They chased him until he somehow got stuck on the roof of the school. Needless to say, he was severely punished when he went to his 'home.'_

_Cathy talked to Harry after that, but not that much. She was too scared of being beat up by Dudley to risk it. They never became friends, just acquaintances._

**End Flashback **

Cathy gave a laugh, "Yeah, I got rid of my pigtails, and got contacts. It made a world of difference. So, where have you been all this time? The last time I saw was at the end of fifth year. Did you go to a different school?"

Harry smiled, "Here, take a seat. And, yes, I do go to a different school. It's a boarding school up north."

"One second, let me get my meal, they just called my number."

"Okay."

A minute later she returned with her food, and sat down to eat with Harry. They shot the breeze while they ate, learning of what happened to the other during the last five years. Of course, Harry didn't tell her he was a wizard, just about his friends and such. She was glad to learn that he finally had friends, and apologized for being a coward when they were younger.

"Oh, its okay, Cathy, Dudley scared everyone from being my friend. I don't hold it against you." He said as he finished off the last of his chips.

As he waited for her to finish her meal, he had a sudden thought. "Cathy, I know this'll sound strange, since I just met you and all, but can I ask you a favor?"

Cathy looked up, curiosity piqued. "Sure, Harry, just depends on the favor."

"Could you take me shopping tomorrow? Right now I'm wearing Dudley's old castoffs, so I really need a whole new wardrobe." He said, gesturing at his cloths.

She smiled, "Of course I will Harry! I absolutely love shopping! We can even go now if you want."

"Sorry, but I need to go and get the money first."

"Oh, well, that's alright. Should I meet you here tomorrow then?" She said.

"That'll be great, how about twelve o' clock, so we can eat lunch, and then go."

"Okay! So I'll see you tomorrow."

Harry smiled at her, "Yeah, thank you so much for this."

"It's no problem, I already told you, I love to shop!"

As they took their leave of each other Harry looked at his watch. It was 1:40. _Perfect, I have enough time to go to Diagon Alley._

* * *

**1-Taken from Shezza88's list of spells in the story _Harry Potter and the Future Remapped_**

**2-Taken from Chapter 17 of JKR's_ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_**

**Comments welcome, even flames.**

**Next up: Chapter 2-Diagon Alley**


	2. Gringotts

**The Tangibility of Magic by Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 2- Diagon Alley**

After Cathy was out of sight, Harry quickly went behind another hedge and threw on his invisibility cloak. Casting the silencing charm on his shoes again, he made the short walk home. He climbed back up the tree (he had a lot of experience in this, since Dudley couldn't climb anything due to his immense weight), and went through the open window.

He opened his trunk, and took out one of his old school robes, and tore the Gryffindor seal off of it. He transfigured the robe into a longer robe, this time with a hood. He charmed the hood to shadow the upper half of his face, so only his mouth was shown. He caught a look of himself in the mirror, and grinned. Absolutely no one would recognize him, not even Ron and Hermione. He truly looked like a dark wizard. He remembered a charm that Flitwick had taught them, one to change his voice.

"_Inflecto Oratio!" _He said, pointing his wand towards his mouth, while envisioning a new voice for himself.

Hedwig flew into the room through the window, and looked at Harry in what seemed to be surprise. _Of course, Hedwig's my familiar, so she must recognize_ _me, even with my cloak._

"So, what do you think girl? Good enough disguise?" His voice had changed drastically. It had started to get deeper, but now he sounded like a mature man. He had deliberately made it scratchy, like it hadn't been used in years.

Hedwig hooted in approval. She held in her talons two dead rats. She presented them to Harry, but he politely refused. "Err, its ok Hedwig, I just had a huge lunch. I'm not that hungry."

She looked at him doubtfully. "Don't look at me like that! I really did!"

She looked at him once more, but started on her meal of rats. Harry shook his head at his owl. _Hedwig's almost as bad as Mrs. Weasley when it comes to my state of health. _He smiled; he was glad that some people, and owls, cared about him enough to worry about his eating habits.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley, so I'll be back later Hedwig." He told his familiar.

He donned on his invisibility cloak again, and climbed down the tree. He went into an alleyway and raised his wand, and quickly brought it down.

BANG!

The Knight Bus appeared in front of him with the usual noise. Stan Turnpike opened the door and was about to launch into his speech, when he caught sight of Harry. He gaped like a fish out of water, and couldn't think of anything to say.

Harry smirked; his disguise was working better than he had thought. "I want to go to The Leaky Cauldron."

"Of...of...of course, sir. That will be three galleons, Mr...?" Stan said, with not a little fear, his Cockney accent gone.

"My name is of no importance." Harry said while handing over the gold to Stan. Stan accepted the money in his outstretched hand, but found that he was too afraid to move his legs.

Harry gave a sigh of impatience. "Will you get the fuck out of my way? Or do I have to make you? Trust me, you don't want to choose the latter." He told Stan with a slightly insane grin.

Stan quickly got out of the cloaked strangers way, and squeaked out, "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!"

Harry got on the Knight Bus, and sat on one of the unoccupied beds. There weren't that many people in the bus, just an old lady who was sleeping, and a portly gentleman that was currently reading the _Daily Prophet_. As Harry sat down, the man, without looking up, spoke up. "I say, man, isn't it something about Voldemort's return? I never really believed the Potter kid, but apparently it's true. What do you think?"

Harry was filled with rage at this pompous mans attitude. "What I believe is none of your business. But, I do believe you should close that shithole you call a mouth, open your mind to new ideas, and never talk to me again." He said in a smooth, dangerous voice.

"Why I nev-" The man broke off as he caught a look of his fellow passenger. He went from being incredibly mad, to being ready to soil his pants. He immediately shut up, and took to staring at his paper. Harry wanted to laugh, this was hilarious! _I'd like to see him ask that question again._

"Next stop, the Leaky Cauldron!" Stan's voice range out.

With another loud bang, the Knight Bus came to a stop in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry got up and started toward the exit without giving the man a second glance.

He went up to Stan, and thrust ten more galleons into his hand. "I trust that no one will know that I was ever on the Knight Bus?"

Stan smiled; he was starting to like this man, even with his frightening looks. "Of course, sir."

Harry exited the Knight Bus, and went into the Leaky Cauldron. He wanted to get through as unnoticed as possible, so he silently swept through the crowds. He counted the bricks above the trash can, and tapped the wall three times. He entered Diagon Alley and immediately made his way towards Gringotts. Once in the famous wizarding bank, he patiently stood in line for his turn. While he waited, he thought about all the purchases he was about to make today. _I'm pretty sure that I'll have to make a lot of purchases. Much more than I could possibly take out of my vault, and carry around. Maybe the goblins have something similar to a credit card? They must have something like that, or else how can wizards buy expensive things? I'll have to ask and see._

"Can I help you, sir? The goblin at the front desk asked. The goblin, busy doing paperwork, didn't even look up.

"Yes, I would like to take some gold out of my vault, please." He said while placing the key on the counter in front of him.

The goblin took the key and examined it. "Mr. Potter? We have been expecting you. Follow me please." He jumped down from his stool, and opened a little door. He came out from the other side, and began to briskly walk towards the back of the bank.

Harry was confused, this had never happened before. The goblin opened a door that led into a hallway. Harry followed him until the goblin abruptly stopped, and opened the door to the right. He walked in and stood in front of a desk, with another goblin behind it. "Sir, a Mr. Harry Potter is here to see you."

The other goblin looked up and said, "Greetings Mr. Potter. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, you may leave now." He said to the other goblin.

"It is good to meet you Mr. Potter, my name is Gruckclasp. I am the manager here at Gringotts. Please, take a seat." Harry took the offered seat, wondering why he was here.

"I must admit Mr. Potter, I had expected you to come here quicker than this. In the letter I sent you, I did say that I would need to come here as soon as possible."

Harry stared incredulously at the goblin. "First of all, please call me Harry. I don't really care for titles. And exactly what letter are you talking about? I haven't gotten a letter from Gringotts in my entire life!"

It was the Gruckclasp's turn to look confused now. "You are sure of this? I wrote and sent the letter to you personally. And I know for a fact that Gringotts sends out a letter to every client, informing them of their current status."

"I'm sure. I have never gotten any kind of letter like that. Do you have any copies of the letter you sent to me?" Harry said.

"Of course we do, Gringotts keeps a copy of every form sent out, however trivial it might be. One moment, let me call my assistant in to get you the letter, and your current status report." Gruckclasp replied, "Digwump!"

Another goblin entered the room, whom Harry assumed was Digwump. "Yes, sir?" Digwump asked.

"Digwump, fetch a copy of Mr. Potter's status report, and the letter I sent him last week." The manager ordered.

"Right away, sir." Digwump said.

A few minutes later, Digwump returned with two pieces of paper, which he handed to Gruckclasp. "Thank you, Digwump, that will be all." Digwump bowed, and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Gruckclasp looked over the documents before handing them to Harry. "Here you are, Harry. The first one is the letter I sent to you, and the second is your current status in gold."

As Harry read the letter, he was glad that he had overcome his guilt over Sirius's death last night. Otherwise, he would be outright bawling right now.

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_It has come to my attention that your Godfather, Sirius Black has just passed away. We offer you our condolences. However, because of Mr. Black's death, his last will and testament must be taken into consideration. In his will, he bequeathed to you the entire Black family fortune, excluding two million galleons, which is now in the hands of a one Remus Lupin. The entire Black family vault is now in your possession. I ask you to come to Gringotts as soon as possible, in order to accept or deny this vault. If denied, the vault will go to Narcissa Malfoy, Mr. Black's closest living relative. When you come to Gringotts, the goblin will bring you to me._

_Sincerely, _

_Gruckclasp _

_Manager of Gringotts_

Even though Harry had gotten rid of his guilt, he still felt his heart clench at the reminder that Sirius was dead. "How much money is in Sirius's vault?" He asked Gruckclasp.

Gruckclasp gestured toward the second letter. "It is all in the status report."

**Status Report: Harold James Potter**

_Number of Vaults Currently Held: 3_

_Amount of Gold in Each Vault: _

_Harold James Potter's Trust Vault- 200,345 galleons; 12,436 sickles; 20,378 knuts_

_Potter Family Vault- 6,879,862 galleons; 1,293,983 sickles; 98,232 knuts_

_Black Family Vault- 7,379,355 galleons; 994,034 sickles; 94,382 knuts_

Harry couldn't believe it. He always knew that the Potter's were rich, but he never realized the extent of the wealth that they possessed. He was a fucking millionaire. _Holy shit. Look at all the money I have. And to think, I was worried about spending too much._

"There is one problem though, Harry," Gruckclasp said, "In order to withdraw anything out of the Potter Family Vault, you must be of age. Unfortunately, you are not, so while you can still go see the vault, you may not take anything out of it."

"What! Is there any reason why I can't?" He asked the goblin.

"That is why the trust fund was created for you," Gruckclasp said, "All family vaults have a magic on them which prevents any underage persons from taking money. Unless the owner of the vault in question gives permission, you cannot take anything out. Fortunately, you can still access the Black Family Vault, because Mr. Black gave you permission to do so in his will."

Harry frowned, it wasn't what he wanted, but he wasn't about to argue, not when he had just received seven million galleons from Sirius. "Thank you Gruckclasp, I accept these vaults as my own."

Gruckclasp smiled, though it looked slightly sinister on the goblin. "Very good, Harry, I'll send for someone to show you to your vault."

"Digwump!" Gruckclasp called out. When Digwump entered the room, Gruckclasp asked him to fetch another goblin to take Harry down to his vaults. Digwump complied and quickly left to do his bidding.

Harry suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask about the whole money-carrying issue. "Excuse me Gruckclasp, but is there any way for me to carry large amounts of money at a time? He asked, "You see, I'm planning on purchasing quite a lot of stuff today, and I don't think it possible for me to carry that much money."

"Why, yes, of course we do Harry. It is a quite recent invention made by the goblins, maybe just a decade old. We got the idea from muggles, actually. A wizard told us of an ingenious method the muggles used so that they didn't have to carry around much money. It's called a credit card. We adapted it so that it would work for the wizarding world as well. All the shopkeeper has to do is say the price of the purchase, and then swipe the card with the tip of his, or her, wand."

"Wow, that's really convenient. Does it work for muggle stores too?" Harry asked, interested.

"Yes, it does. Whenever a muggle sees the card, it will look like a _Visa_ card, but the charge is applied to your Gringotts vault. Would you like one of these? It costs twenty galleons."

"Yes, please."

Digwump came back with another goblin as they finished their conversation. "Griphook, get Mr. Potter here a credit card after you come back from his vaults."

"Yes, sir. Follow me, Mr. Potter." Said Griphook

Harry followed Griphook out into the hallway, and into the main hall. They then went down into the caverns and got into a cart. Harry enjoyed the fast-paced ride for a while before they abruptly stopped in front of his trust vault.

_I don't want Dumbledore to suspect anything, so I had better take the normal amount of galleons out._ He went into the vault and took his usual amount. He went back to the cart, and asked Griphook to go then to the Potter Family Vault.

The ride was the longest he had ever taken in Gringotts. He had heard the rumors of dragons guarding some of the more important vaults, but had never known if it was true. Well, now he knew. He saw several Welsh Greens and some Chinese Fireballs. They went even deeper into the caverns until they reached into the one hundreds. They stopped in front of Vault #53, and Harry got out of the cart. Griphook then said importantly, "Step back, let me open the vault."

Harry did as he was told, and watched as Griphook ran a long finger vertically across the vault doors. He heard the locks unlocking behind the door, and the doors suddenly swung inwards. Harry entered the vault, and took a look at his surroundings. The vault was brightly lit by the magically illuminated walls. There were tons of gold and silver everywhere he looked. In addition to this, there were many portraits on the walls, and bookshelves full of books.

"Hello there, young man." A warm voice said. "Would you like any assistance?"

Harry whirled around in surprise. He calmed down when he saw that it was just a portrait speaking. It was of a middle-aged man, with graying hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a red robe. "Umm, no thank you. I'm just looking around, I can't really take anything out of here." He said to the portrait.

"My word! You look just like James! If I'm not mistaken, you must be his son."

"Yes, yes I am. Not to be rude, but who are you?" replied Harry.

"Me? I am James Potter's grandfather, which makes you my great-grandson. My name is Vincent Potter."

Harry was ecstatic. He had never seen any of his family before, and here was a portrait that he could finally talk to! Harry continued to talk to his great-grandfather for a half-hour, before remembering that he still had to go shopping. With a promise to come and get him when he was seventeen, Harry left the vault.

* * *

He exited the vault and asked Griphook to go to the Black Family Vault next. When the reached the vault, Harry chose to leave the cart after Griphook had opened the vault doors. Torches, which had been lit when he entered the room, gave the room a dull glow. There were huge stacks of galleons, sickles, and knuts everywhere he looked. Portraits littered the walls and he saw many other things, including armor, swords, daggers, just about every sharp object he could think of.

One of the portraits suddenly woke up to the sound of Harry walking in the vault. "You there, boy! You are not a Black, how did you get in here?"

Harry started in surprise when he saw the portrait. "Headmaster Nigellus? Just how many portraits _are _there of you?"

"Who _are _you? Come closer, boy, step into the light." Said Nigellus.

As Harry stepped closer toward the portrait, he saw a look of surprise flit across Phineas Nigellus's face before being replaced by a sneer. "I shouldn't be surprised, you are the only person that my great-great-grandson cared about, other than the werewolf. Am I correct to say that he gave you this vault in his will?" He asked.

"Yes, he did give me this vault." Said Harry. "Listen, Headmaster, I never said sorry for the death of your grandson. I a-"

"I don't need your sympathy, boy. Just take what you need, and leave." Said Nigellus

Harry immediately shut his mouth, and started to look around the room. He wondered if there were any other books on the Dark Arts. "Excuse me, Headmaster? Would you happen to know if there are any books on the Dark Arts in this vault?" asked Harry.

"No, there aren't any left, all are in Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore has probably already gotten rid of them. Pity, that. Why are you asking anyway? I thought that you were the 'Golden Boy' of Gryffindor."

Harry glowered. "Don't call me that. I have had enough with all these titles. And to answer your question, I have recently figured out that by being a dark wizard, doesn't make a person evil."

Nigellus smiled faintly for a second. "Well, at least someone has some common sense."

Harry grinned. "Are you sure that there aren't any more Dark Arts books left?"

"Yes, boy. I am positive. The Black family put all of their books in the library in Grimmauld Place."

"Fuck. I need some more Dark Arts books. Do you know of any place where I can buy them?" asked Harry.

"I do...but all of the stores that sell them are located in Knockturn Alley. Aren't you prohibited to go in there?" Nigellus asked with a sneer.

Harry smirked slightly. "I've been breaking rules all day, one more won't make much of a difference."

Nigellus looked at the boy approvingly, and said, "Good for you boy, good for you. There are many stores in Knockturn Alley that sells those types of books. However, the best one is a store called _Acerbus Libri._"

"Thank you, Headmaster." Harry started to leave. He suddenly had an idea. "Headmaster, how much Dark Arts knowledge do you possess?"

Nigellus looked at him suspiciously and said, "I don't know, but I know more than most wizards, if that's what you mean."

Harry grinned excitedly and asked, "Would you like to come with me, and teach me some curses? I'm sure it will be much more interesting that staying in here the whole time. "

Nigellus looked at Harry for a moment, then sighed. "Oh, well, I haven't taught anyone in a long while, but I must admit, it will be a refreshing change. I will come with you."

Harry smiled and said, "Great! One thing though, could you go visit one of your other portraits? I'm about to go shopping, and I don't want to lug you around."

"Yes, I think I'll go see how Dumbledore's doing."

Harry scowled at the mention of Dumbledore, but said nothing. He watched as Nigellus left the portrait and then reduced it. He put it in his pocket and with one last look around, left the vault.

"I'm ready to leave now Griphook. Could you take me to get my credit card now, please?"

"Yes, sir." And with that, they climbed back into the cart and exited the caverns.

* * *

Griphook took Harry to a side room in the main hall. "Take a seat in that chair." Said Griphook, gesturing towards the chair in front the old-style camera. Harry did as he was told, while Griphook took his place behind the camera. With a great flash, the camera went off. Harry blinked his eyes dazedly. _The wizarding world should really think about updating their cameras. One without the goddamn flashbulb._ He thought to himself.

Griphook then handed him two cards, interrupting his thoughts. One was a driver's license, and the other was his credit card. He assumed that the driver's license was for identification on the muggle world.

"That will be twenty galleons." Said Griphook.

"Oh yes, of course." Harry paid the goblin and walked outside the wizarding bank.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for all your kind reviews and suggestions. I hope this chapter was good enough. I know, I know, I was supposed to get into the shopping in this chapter, but I hadn't taken into account the whole Gringotts scene. To the reviewer that told me that Voldemort had said that quotation, that is true, however, he told that to Quirrell, who in turn told Harry. **

**Next Up: Shopping in Diagon/Knockturn Alley**

**As always, comments welcome, even flames. –Jolly Rancher**


	3. Diagon Alley

**The Tangibility of Magic by Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 3- Shopping in Diagon Alley**

* * *

"_That will be twenty galleons." Said Griphook._

"_Oh yes, of course." Harry paid the goblin and walked outside the wizarding bank._

Harry stopped, and thought about where he wanted to go next. _Should I shop in Diagon Alley first, then go to Knockturn Alley?_ He decided to shop in Diagon Alley and get all the essentials.

* * *

Harry walked outside Gringotts and put on his dark cloak. He then made the walk to Madame Malkins. The door gave a chime as he entered.

"Hello dear, how may I help you?" asked Madam Malkin.

Harry took off the robe. "Hello Madam Malkin."

"Mr. Potter? Why on earth are you dressed in that horrible cloak? And what's wrong with your voice?"

Harry gave her a wry smile. "I don't really want anyone to know I'm here. I don't want much attention right now."

The short witch smiled. "I understand Mr. Potter. Now, do you want your normal set of school robes?"

"No, actually. I was thinking of actually getting some real robes, in different colors."

"Of course, dear. What would you like?"

"I would like five robes for everyday wear. I want two of them to be red, two to be blue, and one to be a dark purple, almost black. I would also like three dress robes, with one a pure white, another black, and the last a silver." Said Harry.

Madam Malkin nodded, all the while taking down notes. "Very well. Step on the stool so that I can get your measurements."

Harry stepped on the stool, spread his arms out, and let the tape measure do its work. As it swept over him, he mulled over where to go next. _Maybe I should go to Flourish & Blott's next. Or maybe Ollivander's. I am eager to get a new wand. I wonder if he'll let me get one. I hope he will. What am I talking about, of course he will. He must know of the Priori Incantatem spell, and he definitely knows that Voldemort's wand is my brother wand. He has to give me a new one. If I just expla-_"

"That's it dear. You're done." Said Madam Malkin. "Your robes should be done in about an hour. That will be twenty-five galleons Mr. Potter."

Harry got out his credit card and handed it to her. She examined it. "I heard about these! Some clients have talked about them, but no one has ever used it before in my shop."

She got out her wand, and slid the tip along the magnetic strip. "_Twenty-five galleons!"_

Harry thanked her and put his cloak on before bidding the witch goodbye, and leaving the shop. He decided to go to a store that he had seen earlier, one that had advertised trunks.

He walked into the store and started to browse through the selection of trunks. He wanted a trunk like Moody's, but only found regular one-compartment trunks, or some two-compartment trunks. Finally, as he neared the end of the store, he reached the type of trunks he was looking for. There were only two types of trunks and he read the card for each.

_**Brucolli Trunk**_

_Company: Brucolli Inc._

_Furnished by the famous designer himself Francis Brucolli, this trunk is truly a work of art. Includes: normal compartment, living room, dining room, powder room, entertainment room, library, and an empty room. _

_Price: 400 galleons_

_**The Kage Trunk**_

_Company: Kage Inc._

_This trunk contains seven compartments. The first two compartments are the size of a normal trunk, while the five others are 50 ft x 50 ft. The first two compartments are carpeted, the floor of the third is made from the finest holly wood, and the last compartment is stone all over and one can make the compartments into whatever they wish. There is a door in the last five compartments so one does not have to leave the trunk to go from one to another. The trunk also has an automatic shrinking charm placed on it._

_Price: 100 galleons._

Harry decided to get the _Kage Trunk_, since he really didn't care for some guy decorating his rooms. Plus, it was much cheaper, and he could mold it into what exactly he wanted. He went up to the owner of the shop, who had been looking at him suspiciously since he came in, and asked, "Are there any more of the Kage Trunk's? If so, I would like to buy one."

The shopkeeper said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. I'll get one from the storeroom right away. Please wait here for a moment."

Harry stood at the desk, waiting for the shopkeeper to emerge from the storeroom.

"Here you are sir. One _Kage Trunk_. I hope everything is to your satisfaction." Said the shopkeeper.

"Thank you. Oh, I have one question... how do you activate the shrinking charm on the trunk?"

"Of course sir. All you have to do is place your hand on the top of the trunk, and say '_Reducio!_' The trunk should shrink to the size of a playing card deck. To enlarge the trunk, you have to put your hand on it and say '_Engorgio!'_" He said.

Harry nodded and put his hand on top of the trunk. "_Reducio!_"

The trunk immediately shrunk, and Harry put it into his pocket. He nodded to the owner, and walked outside.

* * *

Harry set off for Flourish and Blotts. As he entered the store, he noticed that it was mostly empty. Just one or two people buying some books. He automatically went towards the schoolbook's section, before remembering that he needed to get something more advanced than the normal stuff. He needed things past

what they taught in Hogwarts. Besides, he didn't want to get bored in his classes. He looked around the store, and went to the advanced Transfiguration section. He searched the racks for a few minutes before choosing three of the many books.

_What They Don't Teach At School – Mirabelle Stewart_

_From Rock to Dog – Anthony Hopkins_

_Self-Transfiguration – Selena Gale_

He then went to the Potions section. His dreams of being an auror had completely vanished. This was partly due to the fact that he knew that he would never get an Outstanding in his Potions OWL, but mostly because he had seen how corrupt the ministry was. Rather than a democracy, it was more like a dictatorship. Fudge controlled everything, even the press. _They all think that their superior to muggles, yet who discriminates against races? Muggles are years ahead of wizards, at least in terms of these silly prejudices. And at least muggles give fair trials, don't wizards know of the term "innocent until proven guilty?"_

He got a few books out of the Potions section and proceeded to the Charms section. He got a couple books on charms-mainly ones on conjuring objects, and also took some books from the Defense Against the Dark Arts section. He finished up his shopping in the bookstore and went up to the cashier to pay for his purchase.

As the man at the front desk tallied up the books, Harry asked, "Excuse me, but why is Diagon Alley so empty today? Every other time I came here, it was always bustling with action."

With a little trepidation, the man said, "It's because of You-Know-Who being reborn again, sir. Most people now place their orders my owl order, rather than take the risk of Voldemort attacking while they shop," He shrugged, "It's what happened during the last war."

Harry pondered over this for a moment while the cashier finished up. "The total is twenty-four galleons and eight sickles, sir."

Harry handed him his card and watched as the man ran his wand across the magnetic strip. The cashier handed the card back and Harry exited Flourish and Blotts. He decided to go to Ollivander's to get a second wand.

* * *

Harry entered the store, causing a soft tinkle to echo in the empty store. He looked around, but he couldn't find Mr. Ollivander. "Hello Mr. Potter. I trust that you and your wand are well."

Harry jumped slightly at the raspy voice of Ollivander. He smiled slightly, _I should know that I would never be able to find him. I swear, he's like an owl; you never hear them until it's too late._ He turned around and said, "Hello Mr. Ollivander. I am very well, thank you. My wand is also working fine."

"Then why are you here Mr. Potter? Do you require a cleaning agent for your wand? Or perhaps a wand holster?" said Ollivander.

"No, actually, I'm here to get a new wand. Although a wand holster doesn't seem too bad." Said Harry.

Ollivander blinked in surprise. "Oh, I am sorry Mr. Potter, but I'm afraid that I cannot sell you a second wand. Only aurors, or Ministry-approved personnel can own more than one wand. You _can _own a wand holster though. I have a great selection here, if you could-"

Harry interrupted him. "Please, Mr. Ollivander. I absolutely _need_ a new wand. You yourself said that Voldemort's wand is my wand's brother. You must know that _Priori Incantatem_ happens whenever we duel. Last time I dueled with him, it saved my life, but I fear that Voldemort will somehow use this against me, now that he knows about it. Please, I beg you."

Ollivander said in surprise, "Yes, I do know that your wand is the brother to Voldemort's, but when did you duel the Dark Lord Mr. Potter? And furthermore, how do you know of the _Priori Incantatem_ spell? That is not a spell that they teach at school."

Harry's jaw dropped open. "You mean you haven't heard of the events of the last task of the Tri-Wizard tournament? I thought everyone had known about it."

Ollivander shook his head in a negative. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but there was nothing in the paper about you having fought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry began telling the story of the last task. "During the last task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, a Death Eater created an illegal portkey out of the Tri-Wizard Cup. It took me and Cedric Diggory to a cemetery," Harry winced as he recalled the death of Cedric. "Cedric died, and Lord Voldemort was reborn by a ritual using my blood, a servants flesh, and his fathers bones. Voldemort dueled with me after he called his Death Eaters, to show that I was a pushover. We both shot curses at each other at the same time, and they collided, causing the _Priori Incantatem _to occur. And I'm sure you can guess what happened next."

Ollivander was delighted to be hearing the story of Voldemort's rebirth. The ministry had sent owls to everyone explaining that Voldemort was back, but they had never told anyone how.

"Yes, I can. You're father and mother appeared, didn't they?"

Harry nodded. "So can you give me a new wand in light of this?"

Ollivander nodded. "Yes, yes, I suppose that I could get you a new wand. There is one condition. You must not tell anyone of this. The ministry will close down my shop if they ever heard of this. You must very careful so that no one recognizes that you are using a different wand."

"Yes, of course Mr. Ollivander. No one will know.that I have two wands."

"Very well, wait here while I fetch some wands for you to try out." said Ollivander.

He went to the back and got a few wands off the shelves. Harry tried them all, but none of them seemed to match him. Ollivander went back and got more wands, but still, none worked with Harry. This went on for almost an hour. "That's it! I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but there doesn't seem to be a wand in the shop that matches you."

Harry rubbed his wrist, the flicking and swishing for almost an hour straight had made it sore. "Damn. Can you make a custom wand? One that matches me perfectly?"

Ollivander said, "Yes, I could, but the only magical core that seems to suit you is the phoenix feather, and I'm afraid that those are very hard to get. That is why your wand was so expensive, because phoenix's rarely give up their feathers."

Harry thought for a moment. "Wait a moment, since I can speak parseltoungue, wouldn't a snake-related magical core suit me?"

"Yes, it would Mr. Potter, but unfortunately the only snake magical enough to be used in a wand core is a basilisk, which, unfortunately, is too rare and dangerous to get. Perhaps a runespoor, but that's a Class A non-tradable material, and I need ministry approval to make it."

Harry grinned. "What would you say if I said that I could get you a full grown, thousand-year-old basilisk?"

Ollivander gasped. "Are you serious Mr. Potter? You can get me a basilisk? If so, you wouldn't have to pay a knut for your wand, the parts would be more than enough."

"Yes, the basilisk is actually in Hogwarts right now, but I'm sure that I can get it for you in a few days." Said Harry.

"In Hogwarts you say? Why the devil is a basilisk in Hogwarts?"

Harry told Ollivander the story of his second year in Hogwarts, albeit a bit condensed.

Ollivander shook his head in disbelief. "Well Mr. Potter, you certainly are even more powerful than I ever thought. My word...for a twelve-year-old boy to defeat a thousand year basilisk...absolutely amazing."

Harry blushed from the compliments. "It wasn't just me, you know. Fawkes helped as well. If he hadn't gorged the basilisks eyes out, I could never have beaten the monster."

"Nevertheless, you are quite powerful Mr. Potter. Your choice of wand proves that. Now get me the scales of the basilisk, its venom, and its fangs. After I have them it should take about a full day for me to finish making your wand." Said Ollivander.

Harry nodded his consent. "Okay, I'll get it to you the day after tomorrow. Goodbye, sir."

"Farewell Mr. Potter."

Harry exited the store and readied himself to go into Knockturn Alley.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter of Tangibility. To the reviewer that asked about pairings, I'm sorry but it's not going to be any of those. It's not going to be Harry/Ginny or Harry/Hermione either though! I have nothing against those, but they are just way too common. Thanks for the reviews.**

**Next Time: Knockturn Alley**

**Comments welcome. Even flames.**


	4. Knockturn Alley and the Dursley's

**The Tangibility of Magic**

**Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 4: Knockturn Alley and the Dursleys**

**

* * *

**  
_Harry nodded his consent. "Okay, I'll get it to you the day after tomorrow. Goodbye, sir."_

"_Farewell Mr. Potter."_

_Harry exited the store and readied himself to go into Knockturn Alley._

_

* * *

_  
Harry took put his cloak on and took a deep breath. He entered Knockturn Alley and looked around. It was exactly as he saw it four years ago. Dark, dank, and a stench like a latrine. Unlike Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley was filled with people, or at least they looked like people. _I guess the people here have nothing to worry about; Voldemort would never attack Knockturn Alley._

Harry saw a few hags and vampires, and some other creatures that he couldn't identify. All were hidden under a cloak like his, so he didn't need to worry about being conspicuous, like he was in _The Leaky Cauldron_. He decided to go to the bookstore that Nigellus had told him about, _Acerbus Libri_.

Harry entered the store, but nothing tinkled in the background. The store was dark and musty, and he couldn't see any people in the store other than himself. He walked around and looked through some of the books. _Crap, these books are perfect. Oh, gross, a curse that turns your body inside out? I wouldn't mind trying that on Bellatrix._ Harry smirked evilly at the last thought. _Wait a moment, why are these books out for all too see? Wouldn't the ministry confiscate these books? I'll have to ask the owner about that._

He went to the desk and placed his choice of books on the counter. The man behind the desk sneered at him, and counted up the price of the books. "Why are all these books out for everyone to see? I'm sure most, if not all, of the items that you have in your store are illegal. Aren't you scared that they'll come in and confiscate them?"

"You're a fucking fool if you think I don't take precautions against that. There's a charm on the books that lets only people who aren't loyal to the ministry see them. Otherwise, all they see are books on the ways of sex." He gave a harsh laugh. "That makes them leave red-faced and in a hurry."

Harry grinned in amusement. "Tell me the charm."

The man gave a snort. "Give me five galleons."

Harry reached within his moneybag and pulled out five gold galleons. He threw them in front of the gobsmacked store owner and said, "Tell me."

"Are for real? You would waste five galleons for that charm? What a moron." He shrugged and took the money. "Your loss."

Harry growled. "Just tell me the damn charm."

The man glared and said, "The spell is '_despecto_' and you have to move your wand around it in a circular fashion. While you're doing this you have to envision what type of people you want to see the book. Then think about what you want this book to look like to the people who don't fall under that category." He charged the books to the credit card that Harry gave him

"Thanks." With that said, Harry walked out the store.

_Now where too?_ Harry thought. He wandered around Knockturn Alley for a while, looking for a place to go too. He noticed a shop that sold different types of reptiles and walked in. In the store he saw a multitude of cold-blooded animals. There were lizards, snakes, and more. _Nice. I never thought of getting a snake. It could be good company when Hedwig's gone. I wonder what kinds they have here… _

He walked around the store looking at the different kinds of snakes. There were several venomous and dangerous snakes, as well as non-venomous. The store had a very wide selection of reptiles. He was looking at the card detailing a particularly venomous snake when the shop owner came up to him and said in an oily voice, "Why, that is a fine specimen that you have picked out sir," He smiled at Harry. "But I have an even better pick for you. Come to the back with me, I'll show you."

Harry sneered and said, "Why don't you bring whatever it is over here? I'm not going to go anywhere with you."

"Of course, sir." The man simpered. "If you would just wait here for a moment."

Harry nodded his head in acquiescence and watched as the man went into the back. Harry gasped in surprise when he saw what the storeowner was carrying. It was a runespoor. Hagrid had told them about the three-headed snake, but couldn't get one to show them. It was amazing, livid orange with black stripes, with a length of about seven inches. While he was staring at the snake the storeowner started to talk to him.

"It's not very old, just a few months. That's why it's so small. It will reach about one and a half feet in two years time. Doesn't cost that much either! Only thirty-five galleons."

Harry finished staring at the runespoor and glared at the man. "I know that the snake doesn't cost that much. What do you take me for, a fool? I'll pay no more than twenty-five galleons."

The storeowner glared at Harry and said, "That is much too low. Thirty galleons then!"

Harry snorted. "Twenty-five galleons, or nothing at all. I'm not going to be swindled."

He started to walk for the door, but the storeowner cut him off. "Fine! Twenty-five galleons."

Harry smirked and turned back to the owner. He gave him his credit card and took the three-headed snake while the man charged for the snake. The runespoor was sleeping right now, so he couldn't talk to it. He couldn't wait for it to wake up.

He questioned the man on the eating habits of the runespoor and learned that the runespoor ate mostly rats. He would have to wash it at least once a week with warm water. He learned of the specifics of each head, and how to stop the dreamer and planner from killing the critic.

He walked outside carrying his newly bought snake in a small cage in his pocket. The cage was for protection, in case the snake woke up and bit him. He looked at his watch at saw that it was already six o' clock. He decided that he was finished shopping, so he made his way out of Knockturn Alley. He entered Diagon Alley and set off towards The Leaky Cauldron.

He got the same suspicious looks that he had gotten before in the Leaky Cauldron, so he exited quickly. He sighed, he really didn't want to go back in the Knight Bus, but it _was_ the fastest transportation. He called the Knight Bus and glared at Stan before he could begin his speech. He gave him the money and sat down on one of the beds. Thankfully, there weren't any passengers beside him, so he could relax.

He sighed as he sat down. His legs were hurting like mad! _I am never going to shop that long again. _He thought as he rubbed his legs. He suddenly remembered something and groaned. _Oh bugger. I have to go shopping with Cathy tomorrow in the Muggle world. And then I have to think of a way to get into Hogwarts, go to the Chamber of Secrets, get the Basilisk, and get out before Dumbledore notices that I'm there. Damn. Shit, I'll have to get a lot of rest tonight._

The bus gave a great lurch, and they were suddenly in Little Whinging. He got on his aching feet and exited the bus, handing Stan some extra money to keep quiet about him. He walked the short distance to his 'home' and opened the door. At least, he tried to, but the door was locked. _Goddamn it, I don't have the time for this. My feet are hurting, and I have a baby runespoor in my pocket._

He removed his cloak and withdrew his wand. He smirked evilly to himself and thought, _ Should I use a blasting charm, or just go with the simple unlocking charm? A blasting charm will teach the Dursley's not to lock me out, but it would cause unwanted attention. Oh shit._ He suddenly remembered the guard that was watching the house…and he wasn't supposed to be outside.He muttered a charm that enveloped the surrounding area in a red glow that was only visible to him. Moody had taught him the charm so that he could be constantly vigilant. _This charm should show me where the Order guard is located. Now who's guarding me?_

He searched around, and finally found someone underneath an invisibility cloak. The person seemed to be sitting down, resting against a tree. Harry walked cautiously towards him/her too see who it was. As he got closer, he smelt the overwhelming smell of used cigars. _Must be Dung. He seems to be sleeping, but do I really have that much good luck?_ Apparently Harry did. Fletcher didn't make a movement as Harry kneeled next to him. Harry smiled in relief and went back to the front door. He decided to do the unlocking charm, since he didn't want to wake Mundungnus. He walked in to find Dudley and his Uncle Vernon watching a boxing match on TV while his Aunt Petunia washed the dishes. As soon as Vernon saw him, he jumped up (which is a great feat considering his weight), and started screaming at him.

"Boy! How dare you show your freaky face in this house! First you blockade your door, and then you disappear for the whole day! Your aunt has had to wash the dishes, even though it's your chore. Now you will-"

"I'll do nothing _Uncle _Vernon," Harry said coldly. "I've been doing things for you all my life, while Dudley has been sitting on his fat behind and bullying kids. Why doesn't Dudley have chores?"

Purple splotches appeared on Vernon's face as Harry spoke back to him. "_Dudley_ isn't a goddamn freak. And how dare you call him fat! That's all muscle! We took you in out of the goodness of our hearts, and you haven't shown an ounce of gratitude! We have given you the clothes on your ungrateful back, so we expect you to do something to pay for all that we've done for you, boy!"

Harry snorted and said, "Goodness of your hearts? That's funny. I've been nothing more than a servant for you for the past fifteen years! Hell, not even a servant, a slave! At least servants get paid! And for the last time, the only things you've given me are Dudley's hand me downs!"

Vernon's face was purpler than Aunt Petunia's ugly purple skirt that she was currently wearing. He gave a growl and leaped toward Harry, ready to backhand Harry.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Vernon froze in midair and fell to the ground painfully. Dudley, who had been watching gleefully from the sofa, gasped in horror and hid behind the sofa, which did absolutely nothing to hide him. Aunt Petunia shrieked and rushed over to her husband.

"Vernon! Vernon! Get up Vernon, get up!"

Harry smiled in amusement. "Relax Aunt Petunia. He's not dead. He's just paralyzed from head to toe."

Petunia looked at him in relief and then glared at him. "Why you little freak! Take it off! Take it off righ-"

Harry winced as his aunt's screeching made his eardrums throb. "_Silencio!_"

Harry smiled as the throbbing disappeared. "You know, I've been waiting _so_ long to do that to you. I feels really good."

He laughed loudly when he saw his aunt trying to scream at him, but failing miserably. "Cat got your tongue, o aunt of mine?" He winced, that was really lame. 'Sorry, bad joke."

He heard a whimper and smirked. He turned around and said, "Oh hello Dudley. Don't worry, I didn't forget you. I mean, how could I forget you? You only take up my whole field of view."

Dudley suddenly remembered something and smiled maliciously. He stood up and said, "You used magic!"

Harry stared at him and said very slowly, "Yes, yes I did Dudley. That's why I'm called a wizard."

Dudley glowered at him and said, "You'll be expelled from your freaky school now!"

Harry laughed. "You really are as stupid as you are fat aren't you Dud? Have you seen any Ministry owls? I found out a way to get rid of all the detection charms on my wand. I can do all the magic I want."

Dudley stopped smiling and started to whimper again. He looked on fearfully as Harry pointed his wand at him.

"I learned a few new dark curses last night Dudley," Harry said conversationally. "I just need someone to test them on. Let's see, there's one that disembowels a person. I'll do that one!"

Dudley screamed as Harry shot a curse at him. Of course, Harry wasn't that evil. He didn't have the time to learn any new curses anyway. He had just muttered a small pain curse. He released it after a minute. He saw his aunt still standing frozen by Uncle Vernon and said, "If you don't bother me, I won't bother you. Just leave me alone."

He took the spells of his aunt and uncle and walked upstairs to his room. He took of his clothes and carefully placed the still sleeping runespoor onto the drawer. He then climbed into his enlarged bed wearing only his boxers.

* * *

**Taken from JK Rowling's _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. I'm not going to detail the runespoor, but you can click on this link, #runespoor****, to get information and a picture of it.**

**A/N: Here is chapter four of _The Tangibility of Magic_. I hope you all liked it. Chapter five should be up by Monday. I'm driving to San Francisco, so I have a lot of time to write in the car. Updates later might be a little delayed, since I just started to write a DragonBall Z fanfic. Check it out, and tell me if its good.  
**

**Next Up: Shopping With Cathy**

**Comments welcome. Flames as well. **


	5. Shopping With Cathy

**The Tangibility of Magic **

**Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 5: Shopping with Cathy**

**A/N: There's a quote from a movie in this chapter. See if you can find it…**

* * *

_He took the spells of his aunt and uncle and walked upstairs to his room. He took of his clothes and climbed into his enlarged bed wearing only his boxers._

* * *

Harry woke the next morning with a yawn. He paused as he remembered last night's events. He shot off the bed and towards his desk to the runespoor. He found it in its cage, still sleeping. _How long do these things sleep? It's been a day at least, from what the owner told me._

He decided to go eat breakfast first, since he had not eaten dinner the previous night. He grinned as he thought of the events that had happened. He threw on one of Dudley's old shirts and walked downstairs. He saw the Dursley's sitting down and eating. He sat down and said, "Good morning, all! How are you this fine morning? How are you feeling Dudders? I know that that pain curse has some rather severe side effects."

Dudley dropped the piece of sausage he was holding and whimpered again. _Wow, I didn't think that he would start whimpering already! He must be really scared of me._

"Man, am I hungry!" said Harry as he dug into the food on the table. The Dursley's glowered at Harry, but could do nothing against him. "Well, I'm finished. I'll leave you to your food."

He walked upstairs, and into his room.

* * *

Harry looked at the time and saw that it was nine o' clock. _I have a good three hours until I have to meet Cathy. I'll go practice some of those new curses in the trunk._

He enlarged his trunk and opened it up to the last compartment, the one made of all stone. He took his books and climbed in by the ladder attached to the trunk compartment.

Harry looked around the seventh compartment in satisfaction. It was the perfect dueling chamber. There were no obstacles to block his path, just empty space. He looked around, and realized that there was no place to put his books. _Oh, silly me. I can just summon the table down here._

"_Accio table!_"

He smiled as the table came through the compartment door, which he had left open. His smilefaltered as he realized that he couldn't catch the table. _Umm…crap._ He jumped and rolled to the side and watched as the table flew through the space that he had just occupied, then crash into the stone wall. Harry winced as a large CRACK echoed throughout the stone chamber when the table broke into two.

_Yeah, not the best idea you had Potter…_

He shook his head and closed the compartment door with a wave of his wand. He didn't want his relatives getting upsetwith the noise that he was making. He then stared at the broken table thinking about how lucky he was to be blessed with good reflexes.

"_Reparo!_" With a wave of his wand he fixed the table. He placed his books on it, and opened the book that Sirius had given him. He flipped through the book, looking for some useful curses. _Here's one._

_**The Abscidus Curse**- This curse will rip a limb from its socket. It must be aimed at the joint, or it will not work correctly. Be warned, this curse is very painful. _The incantation is _Abscido_.

Harry tried to do the curse, but his wand just gave a feeble spark and went out. He tried it again, with more force to his words, but to no avail. He cursed himself and thought, _Why the hell can't I do this? Even if I am unpracticed, I should get more than a damn spark!_

He thought about what Bellatrix had said at the Department of Mysteries, that to cast the Cruciatus Curse, one must feel great hate. _Maybe that's what I'm missing, emotion._

Harry concentrated on his hatred for Voldemort and cast the curse again. To his great delight, a tiny jet of black light leapt out from his wand and hit the stone wall ahead of him. He knew it wasn't perfect, but it was a start. He spent the next thirty minutes perfecting the curse. The end result was very satisfying; a large jet of black that made a resounding CRACK when it hit the stone wall.

He grinned. Learning the Dark Arts was much harder than learning the Light Arts, but it was also that much more powerful. He couldn't wait to test this out on a Death Eater. Preferably Bellatrix. He smiled at the possibilities.

He spent the next two hours learning more curses. He only learned three more, but they were all dangerous and very powerful spells. All of them required that he feel an immense hate. That was the main difference between the Dark and Light Arts.

Harry wiped his brow, getting rid of all the perspiration that was there. _I never thought that training could be so hard. Even training for the Tri-Wizard Tournament wasn't as grueling as this! Oh well, I have mastered some Dark Arts, and gained more knowledge on curses. Learning the Dark Arts is way more difficult to learn than the Light Arts. _He thought to himself as he took a breather.

Harry glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost half past eleven. _I better take a shower and go to _The Point_. Cathy will be waiting._

* * *

He climbed out of his trunk and heard a sudden scream. He whirled around, wand out, ready to duel. He relaxed when he saw Dudley gaping at him. He sighed and said, "What're you doing here Dudley?" 

"T-t-t-…" Dudley stammered.

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "T-t-t-today junior!"

"Trunk! You just climbed out of the trunk! You're too big to fit inside that trunk!"

Harry lowered his wand and gave a chuckle. "I'm a wizard Dudley, your idea of space doesn't apply to me. It's kind of obvious when you think about it." Harry said. "But of course, you don't think that much, do you?"

Dudley glowered and said, "Where the fuck is my money, Potter? You're the only person that would take it."

Harry grinned and pulled out a wad of money from his back pocket. "Oh, you mean this money? I was hungry at lunchtime yesterday, since you had cleaned out the fridge. So I just took the liberty of taking some well-earned money."

Dudley glared at him and said, "Give it here! I need to go buy some…some...something!"

"Oh, you mean you want to buy some weed? Why didn't you just say so? No."

"It's not yours! I'll tell Mum and Dad!"

Harry snorted and said, "Since when do you care ifsomething belongs to you? This money is stolen, so I'm stealing stolen money…Call your parents Dudders, I'm not very scared of them anymore." He finished the last sentence in a whisper, while twirling his wand menacingly.

Dudley gulped, suddenly remembering that Harry could use magic. He just stood there, seemingly transfixed by Harry's wand. Harry grinned and got his towel. He stood in front of Dudley, waiting for him to move. "Dudley! Get the hell out of the way! I have a lunch date to get too, and I'm all sweaty."

That snapped Dudley out of his stupor. He gaped and asked, "You have a date? Yeah right! Who would go out with a scrawny kid like you?"

It was Harry's turn to glare. "Who the hell would go out with a person the size of a whale? Fucking fat ass."

Harry pushed past Dudley roughly and started towards the bathroom. He wanted to go to the Master bathroom again, but he knew that that was crossing the line. They didn't even let Dudley go in there!

He entered the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. _I look much better than I did a few days ago. No more bags under my eyes. I guess actually getting a good night sleep helps with that, huh?_

He caught a look of his scar and scowled. He brushed a bang in front of it too hide it from view. _I hate this damn thing._ He thought to himself.

Harry finished taking his bath and walked outside with steam billowing from behind him. He went to his room, and got dressed. He looked at the clothes he was wearing and thought, _I seriously can't wait to get new clothes. This is just ridiculous._

He walked out his room and went downstairs, passing Dudley on the way. Dudley stared after him for a second before calling out, "What's her name?"

Harry looked at Dudley and said, "Cathy Fields…why the hell do you want to know?"

Dudley gasped and said, "There's no way you got a date with her! She's one of the most hottest girls in town!"

Harry winced as Dudley butchered English grammar. "She might just want to go out with guys that have an ounce of intelligence; ever thought of that?"

He walked outside and towards _The Point_, thinking about all the stuff that he could get with Cathy. After almost sixteen years of wearing Dudley's hand-me-down's, he could get cloths that fit. He hummed slightly as he walked.

He saw Cathy sitting outside on a bench. He frowned a bit and looked at his watch, which read twelve o' six. _I'm not that late. I wonder what time Cathy got here. I hope she hasn't been waiting long._

Harry walked up to Cathy and said, "Hello Cathy. Sorry I'm late; I guess I spent too much time in the shower. Have you been waiting long?"

Cathy brushed Harry's apology away with a wave of her hand. "It's no problem Harry. I would rather you late, than have you smell."

Harry smiled and said, "Come on, let's go eat lunch. It's my treat."

"No, it's ok Harry! I have my own money. There's no need-"

Harry interrupted her by saying, "Don't worry Cathy. It's not really my money anyways. It's Dudley's. I figured that he deserved to get something taken away from him, since he always bully's little kids around."

Cathy still looked uncertain and said, "Won't he hurt you? I heard that he's very good in boxing."

Harry laughed and opened the door for Cathy. "Don't worry, he wouldn't be able to catch me."

Cathy snickered and said, "Yeah, I guess it would be kind of hard for him to run, what with all that fat."

She shook her head and continued, "He actually asked me out once, can you believe that?"

Harry gaped at he stood in line, and snickered. "He asked you out? So that was why he seemed so jealous of me!"

They took their orders and sat down to eat. "So how exactly did Dudley ask you out?" Harry said, trying to start a conversation.

Cathy looked up from her burger and said, "Hmm? Oh, well, he first came up to me after I got my glasses. I don't think he recognized me, which I find amazing, since he called me four-eyes almost every day when I went to school with him. He had the lamest pick-up line, I know he picked it up in a book somewhere."

Harry grinned and said, "Actually, he doesn't read that much. He probably got it from one of his friends. What'd he say?"

Cathy laughed and said, "Umm, let me remember the exact words."

Harry ate his sandwich, waiting for her to tell him. She snapped her fingers and said, "I remember now! His exact words were, 'I lost my teddy bear, will you sleep with me instead?' I just started laughing then and there."

Harry snorted and almost sprayed his soda through his nose. He started chortling and said, "The sad part is, he actually sleeps with a teddy bear!"

Cathy stared at Harry and started laughing. "I could never imagine Dursley with a teddy bear!" She said. "Maybe he was serious…"

They talked for a while as they finished their lunch. When they finished, they walked outside, and to the Underground, which would take them to London.

Harry paid for their tickets, over Cathy's protests. He thought that since she was going all the way to London, just to help him shop, she shouldn't have to pay her own way.

"So, what do you think we should get?" said Harry.

Cathy looked at him carefully and said, "The first thing I think we should get rid of are those ugly glasses. Those went out of fashion like fifty years ago."

She reached up and took away Harry's glasses. Harry squinted at her and asked, "Why did you take my glasses?"

"I wanted to see your eyes without these huge frames. They are really a quite beautiful emerald. I think you should get contacts. Those would let everyone see them."

Harry blushed when she said he had beautiful eyes. She handed the glasses back to Harry. "And you definitely need new clothes."

Harry put the glasses back on and grinned at her. They exchanged small talk as they went to London.

Harry and Cathy exited the Underground and walked into the great city of London. Harry was exited, he had gone to London before, of course, to get his school supplies, but he had never ventured into Muggle London. The Dursley's had gone many a time, but they had always left him with Mrs. Figg. He shivered; he was glad that those days were over.

"C'mon Harry, let's go to a glasses store first!" Cathy chirped happily.

Harry agreed and Cathy led him expertly through the maze that was London. "I'll take you to the same store that I went to for my contacts. It's not very far, and there's a fabulous clothing store right across the street from it!"

The door gave a chime as they entered. _Do all stores have that chime now?_

Cathy took his hand and started to look through the frames.

"Hello. My name is Sandra." Said an assistant. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

Harry stayed silent while Cathy talked to the assistant. "Yes, please. We're looking for a frame for Harry. We would also like some contacts."

Sandra eyed Harry's face critically for a minute, and then said, "I think that he would look good in smaller frames. Those frames that he's wearing right now don't do him much justice."

She walked through the selection and lifted a frame up for them to see. It was a very small black frame. "Here, try this."

Harry put it on and squinted, but couldn't see very well. Cathy and Sandra could see perfectly though, and said that it looked very good on him. "I think that you should go with that one Harry." Said Cathy.

Harry agreed; he trusted Cathy's judgment on this.

"It will take about one hour for the glasses to be finished up. Do you have your prescription ready?"

_Damn, I knew I forgot something._ "No, sorry, I don't have it."

"That's alright, I just need your current glasses, and I should be able to figure out your prescription."

Harry nodded his acquiescence and handed her his glasses. She took them to the back and ten minutes later, she gave them back. "Alright, the lenses are being fixed to the frame. Would you like to get your contacts now?"

"Yes please. I was wondering if you have any of those new colored contacts?"

Sandra and Cathy looked at him incredulously. "What?" said Harry uneasily.

"Why would you want to cover those beautiful green eyes? They already look like they have color contacts in them!"

Harry shifted. He actually wanted the contacts to better disguise himself, but he couldn't tell Cathy or Sandra that. "I just want to have a change."

Sandra shook her head in resignation and led them to a desk. After they all sat down she said, "We have a multitude of colors which include: black, blue, hazel, green (which, obviously, you don't need), gray, and violet. They cost a little more than normal contacts, about a five-pound increase.

Harry smiled slightly at the last color, it reminded him of Tonks. He turned towards Cathy and asked, "Which colors do you think are good?"

Cathy thought for a minute and said, "I think the violet sounds so cool! So does the black, not many British people have that particular color. I think it would go well with your hair."

Harry nodded and said to Sandra, "I'll take one black and one violet."

"Would you like them to be hard, or to be soft?"

"Err, what's the difference?" asked Harry.

"Soft contacts are the disposable ones, they last for 2-3 weeks before you throw them away. Hard contacts last for at least a year, but if you lose one, you have to buy a separate pair. With disposable, losing a contact isn't a big deal, so that's why most people buy soft contacts."

Harry considered the facts. He _did_ want the soft contacts, so he didn't want to worry about losing one, but on the other hand, he couldn't come back to the store to replace them.

"I'll take them hard."

Sandra got up and went into the storeroom. She got the contacts and gave them to Harry. "Try them on here, I'll show you the proper way to put them in."

Harry nodded and started to open up the violet pair. "Wait! Before you touch the contacts, always remember to wash your hands. The bathroom is behind you on the right."

Harry got up and washed his hands. After he went back, Sandra told him the procedure. Wash your hands, clean the lens with the solution in the palm of his hand, etc. He turned towards Cathy and said, "Well? How is it?"

Cathy grinned and said, "I love it! It looks kind of freaky, but a good kind of freaky, you know?"

Harry didn't know, but nodded his head nonetheless. He took a look at himself and liked what he saw. _Good god! I really do look different. Now I just have to change my hairstyle, and no one will recognize me!_

He paid Sandra the required amount for the glasses and contacts (ninety pounds). Cathy was extremely jealous of the fact that Harry had a credit card.

They went to a clothing store next. Cathy's eyes were dancing with excitement. She expertly dragged Harry through columns of cloths; this was her domain. Harry felt overwhelmed, as soon as Cathy had entered the store, she had told him that dark cloths would look the best on him, and threw him into a fitting room. She had come back with an armful of jeans, t-shirts, and collared shirts. She also had a few dress shirts as well. "You never know when you'll need them." She said when Harry asked about the dress shirts.

"I'll be right back with a few long sleeved shirts. And some jackets. I know it's hot now, but it'll get cold soon. And they're on sale! Thirty percent off!"

Harry sighed; he had been trying on cloths for more than an hour. But, oh well, he knew that he couldn't have done it without Cathy's help. He knew how to defeat a Lethifold, but couldn't get his head around fashion. _Ah, well, that's what I have Cathy for._ He had only known her for a day, but he could already tell that she would be a great friend. He didn't have to worry about being liked for his fame, because she was a muggle. And, she hated Dudley's guts. That was a definite plus. He decided to do her a favor for all the stuff that she was doing for him.

When Cathy came back he said, "Hey Cathy, did you see anything you liked here?"

Cathy dumped the clothes into his arms and looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Yeah, of course I did, why do you ask?"

Harry grinned and said, "I think that you should get some clothes for yourself."

Cathy stared at him and started to vehemently refuse. "Harry! I don't need anything! And your clothes alone will cost a fortune!"

"It's OK Cathy! I got a lot of money from inheritance! Seriously, choose whatever you want."

Cathy continued to stare at him. She muttered, "You must be really mad."

She suddenly jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. Just as fast, she let go of him, and rushed off to find new clothes.

He did a fashion show for Cathy, in which she had various reactions. She, in turn, showed him her clothes. They finally picked out a complete wardrobe for Harry, and a few pairs of clothes for Cathy. When they went to the cashier's desk, the man looked at them like they were crazy. "You think you got enough clothes there?"

Cathy and Harry looked at each other and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Harry. I guess I got a little carried away. This is probably way to expensive."

Harry waved her apology away. "It's no problem Cathy. AsI told you, I just inherited a lot of money, and I need to spend it on _something_.

Cathy looked uncertain and said, "If you're sure…"

They gave the clothes to the man, and the total came out to be about six hundred pounds. Harry's eyes grew round, but he decided that it made sense, considering the amount of clothes that Cathy had picked up for him. He gave the cashier his credit card and the man said, "Could I see your ID please?"

Harry handed him his ID and waited him to finish. "Thank you for your purchase, sir. We hope that you'll come back soon."

Harry and Cathy thanked him and walked outside. "Hey Harry, do you think that we could go to this hair dying place? My highlights are faded, and I need to renew them."

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, sure! I might even get some highlights myself."

Cathy looked at him and laughed. "You really _are_ going all out aren't you? I can barely recognize you with your contacts, and now you want to highlight your hair?"

Harry smiled at her and said, "Yeah, I just really want a change."

Cathy smiled back and shook her head. They walked a little ways toward the hair place, called _Completely Sublime_.

They walked into the store and saw that it wasn't very busy. There was only one person manning the store, a man with long red hair.

The man looked at them and smiled. "Hello, my name is Henry, what can I do for you kids?"

"We'd like to get our hair highlighted." Said Cathy.

"Sure, who'd like to go first?" asked Henry.

"I would," said Cathy. "I would like to get thin red highlights."

As Cathy got her hair highlighted, Harry thought about what he wanted to get. He thought that red looked nice, but didn't want to get the same thing as Cathy. He wanted something to stand out. Something that clashed with what he normally wore, something that would fit his new personality. He smiled; he had the perfect color in mind. _Shades of black…_

Cathy jumped down from the chair and stood in front of Harry. "So? What do you think Harry? Look nice?"

He smiled and said, "It looks really good Cathy."

She grinned at him. "So what are you gonna get?

"I was thinking about getting white highlights. I think that it would look great amidst my black hair."

"Yeah! That's a great idea! I think it'll look great."

So Harry told Henry what he wanted, and got it done. After he was finished, he looked at himself in the mirror. _I look totally different. Now, I _know_ no one will be able to recognize me. This is great!_ Harry truly did look different. With his violet eyes, and white-streaked hair, he looked nothing like his father. His eyes darkened as he thought of James. He still hadn't gotten over that Pensieve incident, where he saw his father and Sirius picking on Snape. Cathy started to talk to him, snapping him out of his morbid thoughts.

"Hmm? Sorry, I completely zoned out there."

Cathy shook her head exasperatedly and said, "I just said that you look _completely _different. Not a bad different either! It looks good on you.

Harry smiled and thanked her. He went with Henry and tried to pay for both of them, but Cathy wouldn't have it this time. She got her own wallet out and gave Henry the required fifteen pounds. Harry paid him the same amount as well.

They walked outside and decided to go to an ice cream shop for a snack. Harry got chocolate, while Cathy got rainbow sherbert. They talked about Harry's new look, and about how fat and obnoxious Dudley is. They finished up their ice cream and went to the glasses store.

Sandra looked up as the bell chimed and smiled. "Hello again. Wow, when you say you want a change, you _really _want a change, don't you?"

Harry and Sandra grinned at her. "Are my glasses ready?" asked Harry.

"Yes, they are. Wait here for a moment, I'll go in the back and get them for you." Sandra went to the back and got a box. She came back and gave it to Harry. "Here you go. Why don't you take your contacts out, and put these on. I need to tell you how to remove the lenses anyway."

Harry agreed and Sandra showed him how to take his lenses off. He put the glasses on and looked at himself in the mirror. These frames were much better than the last ones!

Cathy grinned and said, "Those glasses are perfect for you Harry."

They thanked Sandra once again and left to go to the London Underground. They were finished with shopping…finally.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it though. Twice as long as the last one! Now I gotta go sleep, its 12 AM and I have a pre-calculus test tomorrow. Later.**

**_On Dec. 2, 2004, I learned that two great fics, Harry Potter and the Power of Time by RossWrock, and A Year Like None Other by Aspen In The Sunlight, have been deleted. Those two are my favorite fics, and I beg of you, the reader, to send an e-mail to complaining of this atrocity. They were deleted under false claims of 'explicit content not suited for the PG-13 rating' _ **

**P.S. Did anyone get the movie line?**

**Comments welcome. Flames as well.**

**Next Up: Back To Hogwarts We Go**


	6. Back To Hogwarts We Go

**The Tangibility of Magic**

**by Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 6: Back To Hogwarts We Go**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait…I'll try not to let that happen again. I just had this writers block with the Hogwarts part of this chapter. Thanks for the reviews. Chapter 6!**

**

* * *

**

_They thanked Sandra once again and left to go to the London Underground. They were finished with shopping…finally._

_

* * *

_

Harry watched with a little trepidation as the ministry owl left his room. He held his OWL results in his hand, and he really did not want to open it. _Ah, what the hell. The grades are going to be the same if I open it now or later._ He tucked his finger under the ministry seal and pulled. The envelope tore open and he took out the sheet of parchment that held his grades.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We congratulate you for passing your fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed are your results for your OWL tests. The grading procedure is as follows: Grades of O through A are passing. Grades below A, P and T, are failing. You will not receive any credits for those courses which you have failed. Grades marked with an asterisk is a beyond perfect score._

_Transfiguration_:

_Theory: EE_

_Practical: EE_

_Overall: EE_

_Potions:_

_Theory: A_

_Practical: EE_

_Overall: EE_

_Divination:_

_Theory: A_

_Practical: T_

_Overall: P_

_Herbology:_

_Theory: EE_

_Practical: EE_

_Overall: EE_

_Charms:_

_Theory: EE_

_Practical: O_

_Overall: O_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_Theory: O_

_Practical: O_

_Overall: O_

_History:_

_Theory: T_

_Overall: T_

_Astronomy:_

_Theory: EE_

_Practical: T_

_Overall: P_

_Care of Magical Creatures:_

_Theory: EE_

_Practical: O_

_Overall: O_

_**Note: Because of extenuating circumstances during the OWL Practical for Astronomy, the Ministry of Magic has decided to let anyone who wishes to retake the test do so. You will take the test the first Saturday of the school year.**_

_Congratulations Mr. Potter, you have earned eight OWLS. You are eligible to take the following classes:_

_-NEWT Transfiguration_

_-NEWT Charms_

_-NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_-NEWT Care of Magical Creatures_

_-NEWT Astronomy (pending) _

_-NEWT Herbology_

_Sincerely,_

_Griselda Marchbanks_

_Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority_

Harry was ecstatic. He had only failed three classes! Well, four, if he counted Astronomy, but he was pretty sure that he could do well on the retake. He glanced at the paper again and smiled ruefully. _I guess that means that I can't become an Auror. Oh well, not a big loss. There are still a lot more jobs available. At least last year was the last with Snape._

Harry looked at the time and sighed. He had to go to Hogwarts to get the basilisk for Ollivander. He didn't mind going to Hogwarts, but he didn't like the idea of sneaking around, avoiding the teachers.

* * *

Harry stepped into Hogsmeade out of the Knight Bus, giving Stan the extra galleon to keep quiet. He walked to the Shrieking Shack and quickly went down the passage that led to Hogwarts. Prodding the knot in the trunk with a stick, he stared at Hogwarts. He could never get enough of the castle. It was so awe-inspiring.

Snapping out of his reverie, he quickly walked into Hogwarts.

* * *

Snape snarled as he walked the hallways of Hogwarts. Why Dumbledore had to make the teachers patrol the grounds was beyond him. Voldemort wasn't likely to attack during summer, but the old man insisted on this fool's errand.

He was passing by the Great Hall when he heard a sniffle to his right. He immediately whipped his wand out from his robes and pointed to the offending area. "Show yourself!" he snarled.

* * *

Harry cursed as he watched Snape whirl around. He knew that he couldn't allow Snape to see him, since he would no doubt tell Dumbledore that he had been here. He brightened, thinking that he could use one of the Dark Arts curses that he had recently learned. He needed practice, after all. He had the perfect one.

"_Caecus!_" he whispered from the shadows. A billowing black gas escaped from the tip of his wand and fled towards his Potions professor. Snape never had a chance. The greasy git was staring at a point at least 10 meters from him.

* * *

Snape cried out in pain as the gas encompassed his body. His eyes then seemed to suck the gaseous substance in, causing them to glow an ethereal black. He looked around wildly, but all he could see was darkness, darkness all around him, smothering him. He knew the curse well; Voldemort had used this curse many a time on his followers. Unfortunately, the curse lasted for an hour, and there was no counter-curse. There _was_ a way for him to bypass it however.

"_Absens Acerb Accendo Acerb!"_

The black in his eyes slowly gave way to white, and he sighed in relief. He had not gained his full vision, but he could see the outlines of objects. "_Accio Invisibility Cloak!_"

He had deduced that the other man must be wearing an Invisibility Cloak, since only a few wizards could cast an Invisibility Charm and actually hold it.

"_Stupefy!_" shouted Snape. He watched as a white jet of light, in his distorted vision, sped towards his foe. A dome of light appeared over the intruder as he shouted a shielding spell, blocking his blurry form from view.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" shouted his opponent. Snape ducked and responded with a Banishing Hex, capable of hurling his foe up to twenty feet away. His opponent dodged, but not fast enough. The hex hit the intruder's arm, causing him to whirl around in a circle quite comically. He smirked as the man fell to the floor. His smirk faltered when the man drunkenly staggered a few meters to the left then suddenly disappeared.

"_Accio Invisibility,_" He was cut off suddenly by a stunning hex hitting him straight in the chest, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Harry groaned as Snape fell to the ground. He hated to use the Invisibility Cloak, but somehow Snape had bypassed his curse. He doubled over and vomited all over the floor. _Urgh, I don't think I'll ever recover from that ordeal._

Wiping his mouth he stared at Snape's unconscious form. He thought that he could easily best Snape in a duel, but he had barely beaten him, and that was with using underhanded tactics. The duel had certainly taken him down a few pegs. He was only a sixth year, just because he was better than his classmates in defense didn't mean that he could beat a fully grown wizard. _How am I supposed to beat Voldemort if I can't even face Snape in a duel?_

He sighed in defeat, resolving to train harder than ever. He then set off towards Myrtle's bathroom.

* * *

Harry brushed himself off, rolled his eyes, and did a quick, "_Scourgify_!" to rid himself of all the dirt and grime he had accumulated sliding down the tunnel. He looked around at his surroundings, and realized finally how huge the Chamber of Secrets really was._ I think it runs beneath the entire castle!_

He shook his head and set off towards the main hall, where he had slain the basilisk, taking a moment to blast away the stones with a Reductor Hex. He reached the huge doors and muttered, "_Open_." The doors swung in admittance and he walked in, wrinkling his nose as the foul and mangy stench he smelt. _I guess after three years, a decaying snake _would_ smell._ He conjured up gloves for himself, and set to work, gathering all the suitable pieces. _This is so disgusting…_

_

* * *

_

Harry sat idly upon the playground swings, swinging his legs back and forth reminiscent of his childhood, when he used to come here to escape the Dursley's. Fortunately, his relatives weren't being too bad this summer, thanks to his show of power before.

He watched, from the corner of his eye, Dudley and his gang corner a jogger. He didn't get up; it wasn't like he could do anything. Then he noticed the red highlights, and his blood started to boil.

He quickly got up off the swing and walked over to his obese cousin. "Hey, Dudders. What exactly do you think you're doing?" He said casually, but with a cold glint in his eyes.

Dudley froze at Harry's voice, but Piers Polkiss placed a sneer upon his rat-like face and said, "Why, if it isn't our old plaything. Do you want to join in the fun, Potter?" The two other members of the group stepped forward and flexed their bulging muscles. _Ah, well. Guess there has to be a Crabbe and Goyle in every "gang."_

Harry chose to ignore him, instead settling his eyes on a severely annoyed (albeit a bit frightened) Cathy. "Are you all right, Cathy?"

Cathy, without taking her glare off Piers, said, "Harry. What are you doing here? I don't need your help."

Harry quirked an eyebrow and said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that you could get rid of these four by yourself. I'll just leave you to your little gathering then."

Cathy sighed and said, "Wait. I'm sorry,"

"Aww, well, isn't that sweet? The kids are having a moment." sneered Piers. He looked at Dudley, as if expecting him to chortle, but was surprised to see him frozen. "D? What's the matter?"

"Oh!" Dudley said as he broke out of his fear induced state. "Just imagining what we can do to these two."

Harry rolled his eyes. _Shit, what am I going to do? Dudley can't risk his reputation and I can't risk showing off my magic._ He brightened, thinking of how he used to get away from them before. He gave a quick wink to Cathy, and turned towards Dudley and Piers, then kicked them in the shins.

They howled with pain and rage and Harry took off like a madman, running across the playground with neck-breaking speed. He laughed as the four bastards took off after him, making his plan work perfectly – which was to draw them away from Cathy. Dudley and the other two bulky individuals gradually started to lag behind, but they continued to run after Harry.

He went into an alleyway between two warehouses, and dodged the trashcans and such.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Harry froze as he heard the words and a sudden thud behind him.

"Why, hello there, Potter. Fancy meeting you here." drawled the voice of Lucius Malfoy. "I do believe that you're outside you're protective wards. What a pity."

"Aww, is ickle Potty scawed?"

Harry's heart started to beat faster, and he began to see red. _How DARE that bitch! I'll kill her!_

He whipped his wand around and saw the two Death Eaters smirking at him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Remus Lupin staring at Voldemort's cronies as well. His knuckles were white as they gripped Harry's shoulder, but Harry just turned back to see Piers, lying on the ground with a maniacal smile still in place. Harry felt sad for the loss of life, but not for the loss of that particular individual.

"Ahh! You killed him, Harry! You killed him!"

Harry glanced towards the alleyway entrance, where Dudley stood stock-still as he stared at his best friend's corpse.

With a final scream, Dudley ran off to what Harry thought had to be the police. He thought, _No matter, the Ministry will give out the Memory Charms, it's not like he's going to remember this anyways._

"Malfoy." Harry greeted his arch-rivals father with a nod. "How did you get out of Azkaban?"

Malfoy smirked, and Harry swore that he was preening, even if his face was covered with a mask. "Money comes in handy sometimes, Potter." Malfoy said. "As does being friends with the current Minister of Magic."

"What! You were right there in the same robes you're wearing now!"

"I'm sorry, Harry. We should have told you sooner that he was released." said Remus.

Harry sighed and locked gazes with Bellatrix and quickly drew his wand, getting ready to duel. Remus fell into stance beside him. Harry mused idly that the scene would have looked comical if he was looking from an outsider's perspective. It was like one of those old American Western films, except without the dust balls and wind.

Remus decided to attack first with a simple Stunner. Malfoy retaliated with a quick Shielding Charm and they were off in their own little world. Harry continued to lock eyes with Bellatrix until he could no longer take it.

"_Expelliarmus!_" cried Harry.

Bellatrix eyes simply became merrier beneath her white mask as she stepped out of the way. "Is that all you have, Potter? Come now, even a _dog_ can do better than that."

Harry quietly seethed at the veiled insult, but kept his face impassive._ You want more, huh? Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine_. He looked at Remus, to make sure the man had everything under control and was surprised to see him relaxed, as though he wasn't really in battle.

He ran towards her, kicking trashcans out of his way and dodging various curses sent his way.

He saw Bellatrix's eyes widen in surprise, and smirked in triumph. He thought that she had never faced this tactic before, and he was right. He rushed forward, avoiding a Cutting Hex, and kneed her in the stomach as hard as he could. The Death Eater's eyes bulged open, and he felt her deflating as all the air was displaced quite rapidly out of her lungs. She stumbled a few feet back and fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

Harry grinned maliciously and brought his wand out. He concentrated on the anger he felt at the world for treating him like crap and quietly uttered a single word. "_Crucio!_"

Bellatrix let out a horrific half-scream, trying unsuccessfully to draw in air and expel it at the same time. Harry just stared, letting the curse go on, strangely getting no satisfaction from seeing her scream. She started to writhe on the ground, but still Harry kept going, wanting to feel pleasure, wanting to feel happiness in her pain. She started to scratch at her face, drawing blood but Harry doggedly kept on.

He was staring at her bleeding face when the world suddenly went dark and he collapsed.

* * *

Remus smiled as Harry kicked the shins of the bullies. With his werewolf enhanced speed, he easily kept up with Harry as he ran away. He was glad to see that Harry's hero-complex was still in place, it meant that he hadn't changed that much.

He ran alongside Harry in the alleyway, stopping short when he heard the Killing Curse being uttered. He whirled around just in time to see the boy's body skidding to the ground, due to his relatively high velocity. He watched as Malfoy and Lestrange came from a niche in the wall. He whipped off his Invisibility Cloak, as it would just be a hindrance in the following battle. He pressed one of the buttons on his beaten down coat, giving the Red Alert in Headquarters, as well as in the Headmaster's office. He reached for Harry, wanting to tell him that he was not alone. As he watched Malfoy speak he did an old dueling technique his father taught him once. He imagined a flame inside his head and fed all his emotions into it. He was a void, now, he could feel nothing. He slid into dueling stance, next to his almost-son and prepared to fight.

"_Stupefy!_" yelled Remus. The spell speeded towards his opponent, but Malfoy simply put up a shield, effectively fizzling out the hex.

He narrowed his eyes, silently gauging his opponent. They commenced dueling, and found themselves to be on par with one another. He felt a Cutting Hex strike his face, but the pain was no matter. He could barely feel it due to the Void. He growled and let loose a stream of curses and hexes, a fraction of which hit his opponent. He swiftly apparated behind Malfoy, but the veteran Death Eater didn't look around as expected. He instead immediately disappeared with a loud crack and reappeared a few meters in front of Remus, wand at ready. They both let off a barrage of curses, but neither hit his target.

Finally, Remus began to have the upper hand by banishing Malfoy straight across the alley into a trash bin. He let off a extremely powerful Explosion Hex, causing the trash bin to splinter, cutting into the dazed Malfoy.

He quickly cast a stunner and sighed in relief as the other man slumped against the wall, unconscious. He turned back to Harry and his eyes bulged as he saw his surrogate godson staring impassively at a writhing Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Harry! Stop!" he cried out. Harry, however, didn't seem to hear him. Remus cursed, and cast another stunner. He rushed towards Harry's form, and cradled his head in his hands. "Oh, Harry." Remus murmured. "What's gotten in to you?"

He stared as Bellatrix convulsed uncontrollably. He stunned her, putting her out of her misery for the time being. He looked up as a series of cracks sounded off near the entrance. Tonks rushed towards him and gasped. "Is he," she said, "Is he all right?"

"Yes – he was just hit with a stunner." He neglected to inform her that it was he that cast the spell; he didn't want anyone to know what Harry had done. He sighed and said, "Get the Ministry down here. We need some Memory Charms."

* * *

**A/N: There's chapter six. Again, sorry for the long wait. Oh, and if any of you read the _Wheel of Time_ series you'll recognize what Remus did before he started dueling. I take no credit for that idea. See you next time. Oh, and _Harry Potter and the Power of Time_ was reinstated, but _A Year Like None Other _was not. She has her own website now, though, and she's writing there.**


	7. Remus and the Decision to Move

**The Tangibility of Magic**

**by**

**Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 7: Remus and the Decision to Move**

******

* * *

**

Harry groaned as he woke up. He sat up and blinked. _Urgh, damn contacts._ His eyes were as dry as the desert. He blinked his eyes a few more times and then gave it up, deciding to go to the bathroom and get the contacts out. He stood up, and then looked around in surprise. _What the hell? This isn't Privet Drive. This looks like…_ He groaned as he recognized his room in Grimmuald Place. He let out yet another groan as he recalled the events of the previous night. He sat down heavily on the bed and thought, _what the hell was I thinking? Casting a Cruciatus Curse in front of Remus? How bloody thick can I get? _

He looked up as the door opened and brightened as he saw Ron and Hermione enter, each looking rather worried.

"Oh, Harry!" said Hermione as she rushed towards Harry, giving him a hug. "We were so worried last night when you left the wards!"

"Heh," said Harry, "Sorry about that, I didn't realize that I did. Dumbledore never bothered to mention where the wards ended."

Hermione let go of him and sat down next to him as Ron said in surprise, "Blimey, Harry! Nice eyes! How did you do that? Are you a Metamorphmagus? I noticed you changed your hair too!"

Harry grinned at Ron and said, "I'm fine, Ron, thanks for asking."

Ron had the good grace to blush before saying, "Sorry, mate. You're all right, yeah? But are you a Metamorphmagus?"

Harry was about to say something before Hermione interrupted, saying, "Of course not, Ron. Those are probably just contacts, and some highlights in his hair. If he were a Metamorphmagus, the signs should've been there since he was very young."

Harry grinned, and jerked his thumb at Hermione. "She's right, Ron. Absolutely astounding, isn't it?"

Ron grinned back, and played along. "Oh, of course, Harry. We all know that Hermione doesn't have a clue about anything!"

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, glaring playfully at the boys, with the corners of her lips curved slightly upwards.

"So how long have you guys been here?" asked Harry, laughing at Hermione's reaction.

Ron replied, "Oh, I've been here since almost the beginning of summer. Dumbledore wants us close, in case You-Know-Who tries to attack us."

Hermione said, "I just got here a few days ago. I just got back from Italy. Oh, Harry, it was so beautiful! The Romans were incredibly advanced…"

She trailed off as she realized that both boys were rolling their eyes at each other. She gave Ron a smack and muttered, "Boys!" under her breath.

"Ow! What was that for?" said Ron as he rubbed his smarting arm.

Hermione huffed and said, "For acting like a prat!"

"Harry was doing the same thing! Why didn't you hit him?" Ron said.

Harry smiled as he watched his friends bicker over absolutely nothing. He looked up as the door opened again and frowned slightly as he saw Remus enter the room with some food.

Remus smiled at the trio and said, "Harry, glad to see that you're awake. Ron, Hermione, can I talk to Harry alone for a few minutes, please?

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other and Hermione said, "Sure, Professor."

"Yeah, we'll be down in the kitchens, I'm feeling a bit peaked," said Ron.

Harry smiled as Hermione rolled her eyes. "All right, guys. I'll be down in a minute."

Harry accepted the food with a simple, "Thank you," and asked Remus to sit down on the chair previously occupied by Ron.

Harry realized suddenly that he _was_ hungry, and he dug into his food with a passion. Remus watched him for a few minutes and then said, "Harry, I have a question for you,"

The teenager looked up from his food with a little trepidation. "Uh…sure, Remus. What is it?"

"How is it that the Ministry didn't detect you underage magic?"

Harry remained quiet as his mind worked furiously to think of a suitable answer. "Err, I'm not sure, Remus. Maybe they had some problems?" He stumbled a bit over his words, cursing along the way.

Remus lifted one eyebrow. "This isn't a joke, Harry. I convinced the rest of the Order that I did an anti-detection charm on your wand, because I didn't want the Ministry to meddle like it did last year."

Harry lifted his head in surprise and said, "Why would you do that?"

It was Remus's turn to stay silent. After a few moments he said, "I saw what curse you used on Bellatrix, Harry."

The Boy-Who-Lived winced slightly and looked back at his food, poking at it listlessly.

Remus could take no more, he let out all the frustration he been feeling over the past few hours. "Damn it, Harry! This isn't a matter you can just stay silent about! You just used an Unforgivable against a person!"

Harry glared at him and got up of the bed, food forgotten. "That _person_ killed Sirius! Or have you forgotten that?"

"Of course I remember that, Harry! You're not the only one Sirius was close to!" Remus snapped at Harry.

"Well, you sure aren't acting like it! Who cares what happens to the wench!" retorted Harry.

"I miss Sirius too, Harry! But I'm not about to use a Cruciatus Curse on a person," Remus said in a heated tone. "No matter what they did in the past! It's called an Unforgivable for a reason!"

Harry deflated visibly, and looked down in guilt. "I know, I'm sorry."

Remus just shook his head and sank down into the chair. After a few minutes of silence Harry said, "What did Dumbledore say?"

"_Professor _Dumbledore, Harry. And he didn't say anything." said Remus.

"What? Why?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Because I didn't tell the Order."

Harry felt relief wash over him, Remus wasn't mad at him. Well he was mad, but he wasn't _that_ mad. He then had a thought, "Wait, but what about the symptoms? How did you explain that?"

Remus sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly – he hadn't gotten any sleep. "Conveniently, Lucius Malfoy's last curse towards me was the Cruciatus Curse. I told them that both you and I had dodged that curse and it hit Bellatrix instead."

Harry blinked, thinking that he had _amazingly_ good luck, but said nothing about it.

"You have to promise me that you won't use anymore Dark Magic, Harry."

Harry lifted his face up, green eyes flashing. He was about to tell Remus off for his views, but then realized that it wouldn't help. He just let it go at, "I promise not to use any more of the Unforgivable's, Remus."

Remus relaxed, not noticing that Harry had made a loophole: he didn't say that he wouldn't use Dark Magic in general.

"Right then. Eat your food, Harry."

Harry happily obliged and dug in.

Remus then said, "Dumbledore says that you must go back to the Dursley's, Harry. Just for another week or so, he says that the blood wards need a little more time to strengthen."

Harry froze, the fork halfway between the plate and his mouth. He put it back down on the plate and glared at Remus. "Why the hell did you bring me here if you're just going to throw me back to the Dursley's?"

Remus sighed; he had known this was coming. "Madam Pomfrey wanted to check on you, Harry, to see that you were unharmed."

Harry ran his hand through his hair and sulked. He knew that life at Privet Drive wouldn't be that bad, but he still wanted to spend some time with his friends. He glared one last time at Remus then stared sullenly at his plate. "Fine," he said with resignation, "Let me say bye to Ron and Hermione and then we can go."

Remus smiled gently at him and said, "Why don't you come downstairs with me Harry, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley wants to talk to you."

Harry nodded his acceptance and finished his food off. He stood up, plate in hand, and followed Remus out the door.

* * *

Harry stood nervously in front of number twenty eight, Privet Drive, his hand wavering uncertainly over the door. He had never visited a friend's house before, other than Ron, and didn't know what to expect in a normal muggle household. He gathered up his so-called Gryffindor courage and knocked three times on the door. He waited for a minute before deciding that no one was home. He had just started down the steps when the door abruptly opened, and Cathy's head poked cautiously out. 

"Harry?" asked Cathy. "What are you doing here?"

Harry smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hi, Cathy. Err, I was just here to apologize. I kind of ran out the other day and never came back."

Cathy squinted at him and bit her lower lip, looking back inside her house. She then got some keys and a coat, and then came out on the steps, closing the door behind her. "Let's walk to the park, shall we?"

Harry quickly agreed, and he and Cathy fell in step together, on their way to the nearby park. Cathy kept giving Harry fleeting glances, and seemed to be holding the keys tightly in her coat pocket. He was slightly confused, but said nothing about her strange behavior, attributing it to the fact that she was a girl.

They got to the park and sat under one of the trees, an awkward silence hovering between them.

Harry decided to take the initiative and said, "So, I really am sorry about the other day, Cathy. But I kind of got knocked out, and my friend took me to his house, he didn't realize that you were left in the dark about what happened to me."

Cathy squinted her eyes, looking suspiciously at him. She then said, "Piers body was found dead, the police said that he was stabbed in the heart."

Harry nodded, Remus had told him what memories they had implanted in the muggle peace officers, so he could verify it with the rest of the muggles. Harry remembered last night, when he had returned to the Dursley's. They hadn't gotten their memory altered, of course, since they were aware of the existence of magic, however hard they denied it.

* * *

****

**_Flashback_**

_Harry rang the doorbell to number four Privet Drive, feeling angry and just wanting to get to his room and sleep._

_Petunia opened the door, stared at Harry for a second, then let out a shrill shriek. She then proceeded to slam the door in Harry's face._

_Harry blinked as the air from the closing door hit his eyes. He rolled his eyes and said, "_Alohomora!"

_The door opened and he walked in, putting his wand in his back pocket, and then started up the stairs. He looked up and gaped, before throwing himself over the banister, rolling as he hit the floor. "What the fuck!" he yelled as he ducked into the living room._

_His Uncle Vernon came down the steps, holding a shotgun in his trembling hands. "Now, see here, fre…fre…freak! I will not have you in my house any longer! You just ki…ki…killed Piers!"_

_Harry backed away from his uncle, holding his arms up in the classic, "I give up!" stance._

"_Uncle Vernon…don't be too hasty here, now. Just calm down, I didn't kill Piers!"_

_Vernon bristled and said, "Oh? I suppose those another Dementoid killed him?" He saw Harry's hands go down, and yelled, "Keep your hands up boy!" His confidence was growing, since it was obvious that he had the advantage._

_Harry's hand shot up and Vernon sneered. "Not so tough are you, freak? Without that blasted stick of yours."_

_Harry fumed silently, forming a plan in his mind. He glanced down quickly and kicked one of Dudley's shoes at Vernon, distracting him while he jumped behind a sofa. He heard his uncle bellow and a shot suddenly rang out, showering Harry with bits of plaster. He heard a shriek coming from Aunt Petunia upstairs. He got his wand out of his new wand holster and readied himself._

_He jumped out from behind the sofa and yelled, "Incendio!"_

_The shotgun became red with the heat it had suddenly absorbed and Vernon let out another bellow, dropping the shotgun abruptly. Harry watched, as if in slow motion, the shotgun fall to the floor. He yelped and jumped sideways as the shotgun let loose another time. The wall behind him was blasted through, showering him with plaster once again. He shook his head, to clear his hair of the plaster, and peeked over the sofa to see if the coast was clear._

_Vernon was blowing on his red hands, his face an angry purple. He looked up and saw Harry pointing his wand at him, and paled quickly, a pasty white replacing the purple. "Now, see here b – b – boy, point that thing somewhere else."_

_Harry smirked evilly before casting a pain curse on his uncle. He watched in amusement as Vernon fell to the floor, causing vibration to issue forth. After a few seconds, Harry took pity on Vernon and let go of the curse._

"_None of that, _Uncle_ Vernon." said Harry, stressing the word 'uncle.' "I told you that I didn't kill Piers, and I was telling the truth. If you would have listened for once, instead of blustering on as usual, you would have realized that if I had the desire to kill Piers, I would have done it long ago. Now, I'm tired, and I'm going to sleep. Good night."_

_He then walked out of the living room, deliberately showing his back to his wheezing uncle. He stopped by the bottom of the stairs and said, "Oh, by the way…_Stupefy!_"_

**_End Flashback_**

_  
_

_

* * *

_

Harry had gone up to his room, placing locking charms on his door, as well as an unbreakable charm – to prevent the Dursley's coming into his room and finishing him off in his sleep. As an extra protection, he had Stunned both remaining Dursley's. He woke up late the next morning, around ten or eleven. He had done a lot of thinking the night before, and had decided that he had to get out of Privet Drive. He knew just the perfect place as well, somewhere that Dumbledore would never think of.

So he had gathered up all his belongings, shrunk his trunk, ate his breakfast/lunch, and went off to meet Cathy.

"Did you do it? Did you kill Polkiss?" said Cathy abruptly.

Harry looked at her, shocked, and a little hurt. "No! Of course not! How could you think that of me?"

Cathy looked at her feet and said, "I heard rumors."

Harry was confused; there were rumors about him circulating around Privet Drive? "Rumors? What kind of rumors?"

Cathy looked up and glared defiantly at Harry. She said, "Rumors that you go to St. Brutus's! You told me that you went to a boarding school up north! You lied to me! How can I be sure that you aren't lying to me now?"

Harry sighed and looked down at his hands. That ruddy rumor that Uncle Vernon had started! "Cathy, that's all it is, a rumor. Look, my home life hasn't exactly been pleasant Cathy. You know that I live with my Aunt and Uncle, right?"

Cathy nodded her affirmation, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well, they didn't like my parent's very much, due to a…a…big family feud my aunt and mother had when they were younger. They didn't take it very well when it fell upon them to raise me, suffice to say. Well, it turns out that my parents had already paid for me to go to this prestigious boarding school when I was eleven, and they didn't like it one bit. They were, uh…jealous that I could go and Dudley couldn't, so they started that ridiculous rumor that I went to St. Brutus's. And that's all there is too it."

Cathy looked at him with compassion and pity in her eyes, replacing the earlier look of suspicion. Harry glared at her and said, "I don't need your pity, Cathy! I'm doing all right, as you can see."

"They abused you, didn't they?"

"No. They treat me just fine, just like a guest. It's not their fault that they can't love me." said Harry shortly.

Cathy nodded, recognizing the statement for the lie that it was. "Not all abuse is physical, you know."

Harry glared at her and said, "It doesn't matter if they don't love me. I have other people who love me, and that's all I need."

Cathy smiled understandingly and let that particular discussion end there.

"So, who _did_ kill Polkiss?" asked Cathy.

"Err…some gang that we ran into. I dodged them, but I guess he wasn't so lucky."

Cathy nodded, and finally let relaxed her arms and took her hands out of her jacket. Harry looked at her strangely again and said, "Cathy?"

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind me asking, why were your hands in your pocket?"

Cathy grinned sheepishly and blushed a little. She took out the set of keys from her pocket and showed Harry a small switchblade on the key ring. "It was just a precaution, I didn't know if you were a killer or not."

Harry gaped at the blade before throwing his head back and laughing.

"Oh, Cathy, you make me laugh. Remind me never to underestimate you again."

Cathy grinned and said, "Do you want to go the point and get something to eat? I haven't eaten lunch yet."

Harry smiled back and stood up, offering his hand to Cathy. "Of course we can. I already ate, but I could always use something more."

Cathy took his hand and got up from the ground. "Boys," she said with a laugh.

* * *

"You finished yet, Harry?" asked Cathy as she watched her friend happily much away on some fries.

Harry finished his fries and took a swig from his soda bottle. "Done! Come on, I'll walk you home."

Cathy smiled and said, "You're such a gentleman, Harry."

Harry smiled and said nothing. He opened the door and motioned her to go forward.

They walked down the sidewalk to Cathy's house in a companionable silence, feeling very full from the meal they had just eaten. Harry walked her up to her door and said, "Well, bye then. I'll try to see if I can see you tomorrow."

Cathy smiled and nodded before turning her head and opening her door. Harry turned and walked down her driveway before stopping at the sound of her voice. "Harry!"

He turned around again and said, "Yeah?"

He saw Cathy standing by the door, looking a little uncertain. "Do you…d'you want to come in?"

Harry wavered for a moment, wanting to get to his hiding place, but gave in to the hopeful look on Cathy's face. "Sure, why not?"

Cathy grinned and walked in the door, waiting for Harry to do the same.

They walked to the living room, and saw a teenage boy sitting on the sofa, smoking a blunt. Cathy rolled her eyes and said, "Harry, meet my brother, Alec. Alec, this is Harry."

"Hey man, what's up?" said Alec, taking another drag. He sounded a bit high.

"Hi…" said Harry strangely, he knew that Dudley probably did the same, but in parks and such. He knew that even Dudley knew not to smoke in the house.

"This your new boyfriend, sis?" asked Alec.

Cathy sighed and said, "No, Alec, he's just a friend."

"Hey, that's cool. You wanna puff of this, man?" asked Alec, noticing Harry looking at him smoking.

Harry said, "Err…" before Cathy butted in and said, "No, Alec, that's fine, he doesn't need any. What are you doing here anyways? I thought that you were going to meet up with your friends?"

Alec looked at his watch and laughed, "Yeah, you're right. I'll get going then."

He walked out the door, looking extremely happy. Harry glanced sideways at Cathy, but she just rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, let's go to the kitchen, I don't want to inhale any more of these noxious fumes."

He followed her into the kitchen and sat down. "Your parents don't mind that he smokes? In the house, even?"

Cathy shrugged and said, "They really don't care either way. They don't spend much time worrying about us."

She saw Harry looking at her with stunned eyes and laughed, "Yes, Harry, you're not the only person with a bad home life. But I too have people that care about me, and that's all that really matters, in the end. It's not blood that makes a person family, its love."

Harry smiled weakly and quietly agreed with her, thinking of Sirius, the man who loved him more than his own life. They sat and talked quietly about little things of no importance for the next few hours before Harry had to go.

* * *

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******A/N: Hey, guys. Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, I know, I'm a lazy bum. :shrugs: Sorry about the long wait. I hope everyone liked this chapter. Some of you might think that Harry told Cathy too much when he said that the Dursley's didn't care for him, but at that point, he wanted Cathy to stay his friend, and not another person who thought badly of him. And Cathy revealed her family situation to Harry because she wanted to show him that he wasn't the only one who had guardians that didn't give a shit about what happened to them. Oh, and, heh, sorry about how the last chapter jumped around a bit. Yes, Harry did get his wand, and he did get his new wand holsters. I just didn't want to go through all that and bore you all.**

******And with that, I'm done. I hope to get the next chapter out soon. Toodles.**

******Comments and flames welcomed, as always.**


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